


The Sacred and the Profane

by BubblegumSuburbia



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Background Turf War, Coming of Age, Dark Betty Cooper, F/M, Forbidden Love, Minor Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Mutual Pining, Serpents Everywhere, Sexual Content, Smut, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, everyone is horny, medium-slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-03-27 15:05:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13883388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubblegumSuburbia/pseuds/BubblegumSuburbia
Summary: Seeing the twist of emotions and confusion flitting across her face, he leaned in closer to her, so his nose rested on her temple. Eyes dark and sure, he placed his hand on her bare thigh.“The problem is, Betty…” He breathed softly into her ear, “I would fucking destroy you.”-Riverdale is a quiet town during the Summer. Betty and Jughead, having long lost touch since their days of childhood friendship, are drawn to each other over the months after senior year.





	1. I: July

Jughead almost liked Riverdale in the Summertime. The long days of bright heat seemed to elevate people, places and smells to the point that almost everything was bearable. 

Even Sunnyside Trailer Park, finally living up to its name, took on a quaint, rustic quality. The vibrant and cloudless sky had a way of making what was worn and dirty look appealingly charming under its reign.

He liked the feeling of not caring what day it was, living moment to moment between the trailer, the riverside and the streets. Sometimes he was with Toni, or Sweet Pea, or Fangs. Sometimes he was with all of them. FP would come and go, working shifts at Pop's, working Serpent business. 

Hermione Lodge had been elected as mayor during their senior year, and Riverdale had seemed quieter since. Though the peace seemed inevitably temporary.

Sometimes, as the younger Serpents sat by the river throwing rocks and watching them disappear into the crashing currents, they would speculate and come up with hypothetical plans, trying to get into the collective hive-mindset of the Northside. But mostly they just went about their usual business. 

And mostly Jughead wrote, and read, and wrote. In the morning, with a coffee by his laptop and a hot sheet of sun fanned out across the kitchen through the threadbare curtains. Throughout the day, walking through the deserted town, hand grasping a worn second-hand paperback. By Sweetwater river, in Pop's Diner, hell, even in the White Wyrm. Making muted, simple memories as the long days passed.

They were unremarkable, repetitive memories, that blended softly into one. 

Until the afternoon that Betty Cooper, looking flushed and utterly alone on the street, walked right up to him among his group of peers.

“Can I talk to you about something? It’s important.”

 

x

 

Betty couldn't wait for college. Or rather, she couldn't wait to leave Riverdale. To move to New York, meet like-minded, open-minded people, and be free from the binding cord of her childhood home. 

She had been accepted to Columbia last January. Since then, waiting for September was a slow, excruciating process. She felt shrouded in a light slumber, waiting to be born again, punctuated only by fleeting moments of illumination – a road trip with Kevin, nights sipping stolen vodka talking big dreams with Veronica, vacations to the city and long phone calls with Polly. 

But nobody that could provide solace was here now. This Summer, there was nothing to distract her from the existential dread brought about by the mundanity of the small town and its inhabitants.

She worked at the Register from Monday to Friday, in part to avoid parental conflict, but mainly for something to do – though there was little to write about at the moment. Occasionally she saw Archie at the weekends, and he would tell her all about Veronica’s internship with Vogue magazine. Or she would Skype her friends dispersed across the states, never letting her smile betray anything other than support for them. 

And she was happy for them, vicariously excited. Their tales of youthful hedonism making her yearn for literally anything to happen. But most of the time, the wildest highlight of her week tended to be nights when Alice decided to go rogue and order take-out to eat in front of the TV.

Betty was eighteen years old, and sometimes felt it deeply. But some days she felt much older, like when she took pride in her regular sleeping patterns. Or when she spent mornings pouring over the Economist and coordinating her wardrobe by season. But sometimes, she felt impossibly young. She was naïve, that she knew too. Where was her coming-of-age crescendo of wild yet formative experiences? 

All the pain she had felt in her young life thus far, instead of through experiences scarring and jading her, had been brought about through stifling suffocation. She felt like a child so protected from dirt and germs that their immune system never developed. Or a cut that instead of healing in the wide-open air was left under a plaster to grow soft. 

She was sure things happened in Riverdale. Interesting things, occasionally. But how much can you actively seek out new company in a town where everyone already thinks they know you? 

The younger Serpents sometimes frequented the streets around the Register offices, and Betty would gaze distractedly at them out the window. She hadn’t been close with Jughead since he joined the gang and distanced himself from his former friends. 

Archie resented him, but Betty understood. He had found his tribe, and a bond based on experience that neither her nor Archie could ever offer him. Mostly she wished they had never met. So that she could arrive before them on one of those long, empty afternoons as someone completely new without prior judgement or reputation and participate as a small, yet present, part of their group.

 

x

 

A whole month had passed since they’d finished high school. It was a Friday in early July, late afternoon. A radio station was playing slow violin music that crackled through old speakers. 

Betty took a large gulp from the pint glass of water by her side and listened to it softly thud as it hit the large oak desk in the offices of the Riverdale Register. She was working on an article about a TV show that planned on shooting in Riverdale next fall, and the potential socio-economic implications on a town of their size. 

She didn’t give a fuck, she’d be gone anyway.

She leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms out behind her as the two front legs of the chair lifted slightly off the ground.

“Betty, I can hear you swinging in your chair.” Alice spoke automatically, without looking up from her computer on the other side of the room.

“Can’t I work on something else for a while, Mom?” Betty sighed.

“You need to finish what you start.” Alice retorted, “And you could certainly do with applying that logic elsewhere, too.”

Betty slammed her chair down. She had spent yet another week in the office, observing each hot lazy day unfold outside through their sadistically large windows. She was itching for something else.

“What are you covering?” Betty asked into the room, half-expecting silence in response.

“Oh, you know. Just some Serpent business.”

Betty stretched her neck a little. “What do you mean, Serpent business?”

“Just a short investigative piece. To see what they’ve been up to recently. The town is largely in the dark, you know.”

Betty rubbed her eyes. “Mom. There’s no one around. What could we possibly be in the dark about? You’re picking on an old, easy target.”

Alice lifted her head and adjusted her glasses. “Why so defensive, Elizabeth?”

“You just… You don’t really know anything about them anymore.”

Alice smirked, “I know enough to know there’s always a story when it comes to them.”

“You can’t just decide to write a spontaneous expose on the Serpents. If nothing else it’s weak, lazy journalism.” Betty raised her voice slightly.

“And you need to learn that you can’t please everyone. Especially as a writer, you’re always gonna be pissing someone off.”

Betty took another sip of water before continuing. “Don’t you think it’s a little irresponsible? Stirring the pot like this?”

“Betty. The fact that things are so quiet on the surface means there must be a hell of a lot more going on than what we’re seeing. That gang is a blight on our community. We should be standing together. Unity in the face of adversity. I thought you’d understand the value of that.”

“They’re not hurting anyone…” Betty paused, unsure whether to continue.

“Yet.” Alice scoffed.

Betty stared at her mother, and felt something inside her disconnect. She picked her cell phone, notebook and keys up from her desk and shoved them into her small leather handbag before standing up abruptly.

“What are you doing?” Alice asked, sounding mildly exasperated.

Betty walked straight past her and out the front door, letting it swing open behind her.

 

x

 

It had happened that when watching the Serpents through the office window, she became jealous of them. 

They talked, and laughed, and enjoyed each other’s silence. At times, Jughead would have his arm around Toni. She wondered if they were together. It often seemed like they were. That made her jealous, too. 

Not because she had feelings for Jughead (or Toni for that matter) but she craved someone she could have that with. Someone with whom, if they threw a football at her face, she could toss it aside and pull them over to kiss their hair instead. Someone who would notice when she wore her favorite pair of high waisted shorts and how great they made her ass look and tell her so while sneakily grazing the back of her thigh. 

But the last person she had kissed was Kevin when they were both wasted at an Alt-J concert and promised they wouldn’t let each other die alone. And before that it was Archie before he started dating Veronica. A kiss which seemingly prompted him to realize the depth of his feelings for Veronica and his lack thereof for Betty. She often wondered if she was alienating to men (her usual conclusion being probably). 

Acquiescent. That was the word she most commonly associated with herself. Conflict-avoiding, passive and agreeable, a projection of the life she truly desired played only in her latent consciousness. She was confident, sure, and could stand up for anyone she cared about. But her own desires, whatever they may be, came second to everything.

On this particular July afternoon, however, something felt different. Whatever prompted her to walk out on her job that day stayed ebbing and flowing inside her like a revving engine.

She had been wandering aimlessly through the town, with the vague intention of getting as far away from the office as possible. The thought of spending another weekend, hell, even minute, with her family talking about the Register and gossiping about townspeople instilled in her a sense of deep revulsion. So, she walked towards the outskirts of the town. 

When the time came for the sun to set, she knew she would have to retreat home. But she could delay it, and she could distance herself as much as possible. As her footsteps grew louder and more rapid, she started to run. Through the south side, past Sweetwater river, heading straight for the forest.

Legs wild and flailing, caring for nothing but a sense of release, she ran for what felt like about twenty minutes. Her heart pounded aggressively in her chest and her breathing was stinging the back of her throat. With no one to see or judge her, she relished it. Entirely alone.

Until she sharply turned right at a crossing, and suddenly, a few feet ahead of her sat Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead. 

They were sitting on a half-burned down wooden picnic table, and immediately turned to face her. Usually, her exposure to the Serpents was limited to observation through a thick pane of glass, protected. It felt strange and confusing to Betty that they could see her now, too. They could open their mouths and speak to her, even. She could interact with them, should she so choose.

“Hi” She said, breath ragged and heavy.

No one responded, as they took in her disheveled appearance. Her cheeks were bright pink and her whole face was covered in a light sheen. Her outfit of a short red dress with buttons down the front was incongruous with the fact that she had obviously been running. One of the buttons had popped open, revealing the soft, round, top of her left breast.

“Are you OK?” Jughead’s voice broke the silence.

She was glad her face was red from the exercise, or they would have been able to see her face burn with heat for an entirely different reason.

She nodded.

“I, uh, was going for a run.”

Toni snorted with laughter, “Dressed like that?”

“I forgot my running clothes.” 

She stood there, flushed and limp. She felt rooted to the spot, unsure of an exit strategy. Unsure if she even wanted one.

The sun was setting behind them, and their figures appeared like silhouettes. She could feel Jughead’s eyes on her, hot and intense. There was something mildly feral about him. Instinctively, she took a few steps closer.

She stopped when she was so close she could reach out and touch him.

“Can I talk to you about something?” She asked, looking down at him. A ray of orange dusky sunlight that filtered through the oak trees shone across her eyes and she lifted a hand to shield them.

Jughead looked back at her, unmoving. He was chewing on a toothpick.

“It’s important.” She added, quickly and softly.

Jughead nodded. “Yeah, sure. You need something?”

“Tomorrow night.” She responded, clear and sure. “At eight. In Pop’s.” 

“I’ll be there.”

Betty looked up, and nodded curtly at the others before turning back around and walking back in the direction she came from.

As she turned out of their sight, she rolled her eyes to herself. Seriously? Pop’s?

 

x

 

She wasn’t exactly sure when she had started noticing things about Jughead. The fact that there were muscles that moved underneath his t-shirts, the fullness of his lips. There was a confidence in the way he walked that hadn’t existed when they were close. Or at least, it hadn’t been as obvious. She even kind of liked his tattoo. Perhaps like was the wrong word. It stirred something in her that wasn’t familiar or unpleasant.

But that wasn’t why she had asked to see him.

At some point on her jaunt about town, she had decided to tell Jughead about her mother’s article. She thought its publication was unfair, and classist, and she wanted to give the Serpents an opportunity to protect themselves, on the condition that they didn’t harm anyone in the process. 

More than that, she wanted to see how Jughead would respond to the information. Was she right in thinking that the whole article was a total waste of time, and that there was no serious seedy underbelly to expose? Or was she oblivious?

 

x

 

The whole way home Betty played over her interaction with them. Her interaction with him.

Completely lost in thought, she didn’t see the figure leaving the café in front of her. At full speed, she bumped into Cheryl Blossom, nearly knocking over the paper cup of hot liquid in her hands.

“Sorry!” Betty exclaimed, flustered. “I didn’t see you.”

“Betty!” Cheryl snapped her head up to glare at the blonde. “I was wondering when you’d cross my path.”

Betty frowned, “You knew I was coming this way?”

Cheryl’s face twisted into a false, sympathetic smile. “Poor little Betty Cooper, always a step behind me. Did you finally tire of drowning in pink cashmere?”

Betty took a step backwards, creating a small but discernable distance between the two girls. “What do you want, Cheryl?”

“I saw you by the edge of the forest, fraternizing with those reservoir dogs. I took my time driving by - out of concern, of course. I thought you might be in trouble. But no.” She cocked her head as the smile remained plastered on her face. “Call it cousin’s intuition, but I think it’s more than mongrel hair you’re trying to sniff out.”

Betty shook her head rapidly, “What are you even talking about?”

“Danger, Barbie doll! I know a thrill-seeker when I see one.”

Betty sighed. “I’m not looking for trouble. I’m just trying to get home.”

“Oh, deny what you want. But allow me to warn you. Your little walk on the wild side with the Serpents may turn out to be a hell of a lot more than you bargained for.” 

Betty hesitated. As much as she wanted to ignore the comments, her intrigue simmered to the surface as her brow began to crease.

“You think you can handle that world?” Cheryl continued, “You haven’t scratched the surface.”

“I was just talking to Jughead.” She contended. “He’s an old friend.”

“Ha!” Cheryl threw her head back to the sky, reveling. “That boy has come a long way since his days of The Catcher in the Rye. If you even knew half of what he was capable of these days...” Cheryl pouted and slowly raised her eyebrows suggestively. “Interested, are we? I thought so.”

Betty huffed. “How do you even know all of this?”

“Mommy and Daddy talk a lot. I listen. Daddy’s awareness of Serpent goings-on is… admirable. But-” Cheryl clapped her hands together loudly, “Enough bavardage! I trust you’ll have the common sense, or at the very least, human caution, to heed my warning.”

Betty adjusted the straps of her backpack and nodded, mumbling something incoherent, before trudging slowly past Cheryl.

“And one more thing.” Cheryl added.

Betty turned her head back slightly, not facing her to listen.

“Things are only gonna get worse.” She said, voice tinged with an unexpected note of sincerity. “I’m serious, Betty. Stay the hell away from him.”

Betty faced the road in front of her, took a short breath, and proceeded on her journey home.

 

x

 

Saturday evening arrived quickly. Betty hadn’t even thought of the day and time she’d asked him to meet her. The diner was sure to be full of couples on dates, adding to her embarrassment at her chosen location. 

When she arrived at the diner he was already there, in the booth furthest from the door, staring intently at a paperback folded back on itself in one of his hands. A few stray curls of his dark hair hung covering his eyes from underneath his beanie. Betty’s heart rate increased at the sight. An awkward, aggressive sensation plagued her abdomen and she attempted to walk towards him normally. It struck her making an effort walk normally was probably distinctly abnormal.

She sat down across from him in the diner, giving him a small, timid smile.

He lifted his head slowly at her movements, and his lip almost twitched with what she assumed was his greeting.

"So, Betty Cooper, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He said dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. She wondered when he his voice had become so authoritative.

“I thought I should tell you about an article that’s being written. In the Riverdale Register.”

He smirked, “Your mom’s excuse for a newspaper, you mean?”

Betty swallowed, before continuing. “I’ve been working there this Summer.”

Jughead looked unfazed. “And?”

“Well, um, I think my mom’s trying to investigate something. To do with the Serpents. I think she’s going deep. Looking for dirt.”

Jughead uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the diner table.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Betty held his gaze, unflinching. “I thought it was unfair. And to be honest, a little hypocritical, given her history. I thought you deserved to know.”

They stared at each other for a minute. If Jughead felt conflicted about believing her, she didn’t blame him.

“I believe the Serpents have as much a right to be part of this town as anyone else.” Betty said, earnestly.

“Alright.” Jughead said, sitting back. “I’ll bite. What else you got?”

“I have access to the Google Drive she keeps her research on. I can show you some of it. There’s not much yet.” 

Jughead nodded.

“I brought my laptop, if you wanna…” She gestured to the seat beside her as she took her computer out of her bag and placed it on the table.

He got out of the seat he sat in across from her and slid into the booth beside her. She could smell the leather of his jacket, and feel his body heat. The sensation was invasively distracting, and she typed her password incorrectly twice, before successfully reaching the homepage.

“Jeez, Cooper, this a stolen computer?” He said as he scooted in closer to see the screen. She felt a sizzling in her stomach as the side of his thigh pressed against hers. 

She laughed breathlessly.

“It’s pretty preliminary. The places you guys hang out. The things she suspects you of, drug dealing, weapon trade, fraud… there’s the whole list.”

Jughead’s eyes skimmed the words on her screen. “Nothing we haven’t had before.”

Betty nodded, feeling embarrassed, again, that she had asked him there.

“But keep me in the loop. If anything new happens, OK?” He said.

“Absolutely.” She stated.

They sat in silence for a moment, neither sure of what to say next. But Betty didn’t want to leave. And she had the surprising, unlikely feeling that neither did he.

Jughead looked at Betty with a raised eyebrow, a playful half-smile appearing on his face. “Let’s eat.”

 

x

 

Betty wiped her mouth as she finished her strawberry milkshake, watching Jughead inhale his fries. They were still sitting next to each other on the same side of the booth. She was glad he hadn’t moved back. 

“You seem good, Jug. I know it’s been a while, but it’s really nice to see you.”

Jughead’s tore his gaze away from his food and looked at her. He didn’t reply, only nodding in response.

“Do you ever feel like… you haven’t done anything? You know, being in Riverdale all the time, where nothing ever really changes, or happens…” Betty asked, playing with her sleeve on her lap.

“No. Not really.” Jughead replied, shaking his head.

Betty turned slightly in her seat, eyes slowly lifting to meet his.

“But sometimes...” He hesitated, “I feel like I’ll never go anywhere.”

“You mean, never leave Riverdale?” She raised her eyebrows.

Jughead shrugged slightly. “What did you mean? You asked first.”

Betty gave him a half-smile, “It’s stupid. Or, maybe it’s not. I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve never done anything. At least, not anything worthwhile or interesting.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

"You know. Stuff. Like, I’m eighteen and I’ve never left the East coast. And other stuff, too. Like…” She continued to stare intently at her sleeve. 

“Jughead, you're not a virgin, are you?" She hung her head low as she said it, looking up slowly as she finished.

He shook his head slowly before answering, "No, I'm not."

She paused, searching his face to see if he was going to divulge anything else.

"With Toni?" She asked softly.

He nodded.

"And... others." He added, slowly.

Betty inhaled a little louder than intended.

"Is Toni your girlfriend?" She asked.

He smiled and breathed the beginnings of a laugh, "No."

"But you... sometimes..." She scratched the back of her neck.

"We sleep together. Yeah."

She uncrossed and crossed her legs under the table. The last half hour with Jughead had been the most excited she’d felt all Summer, maybe in months. She was hit by a desperate desire to hold on to it. 

Plus, she was leaving soon. She literally had nothing to lose.

“Would you, um…” She picked up her spoon and started wiping it clean with a napkin.

Jughead stared intently at her. A look not of urgency, but of curiosity.

“You can say it Betty. Whatever it is, I won’t care.”

She turned her head to face him, looking directly into his eyes with wide, lucid eyes. 

She had no idea she was capable of even thinking what came next. The words were coming out of her mouth before she even had the chance to think about their origin or meaning.

“Would you wanna have sex with me sometime?”

She continued staring at him, unmoving.

He frowned, and stretched his hands over his jeans, fingers spread stiffly.

“Or if you don’t want to, that’s fine too! I just thought I’d-“ She began to add.

“Betty.” He interrupted. “I want to. I’m just not sure it’s a good idea.”

She sighed, softly, “because of Toni?”

He shook his head, smirking, “No, not because of Toni.”

“Because you’re scared I’m gonna ‘fall in love with you’ or some tropey cliché like that?” She made air quotes and raised her eyebrows, testing him.

At that he let out an audible chuckle, “Screw you.” He smiled, “but seriously, don’t you want your first time to be with someone… uh… special?”

She shrugged “Most peoples’ aren’t. And I-” she paused, searching for the right words “… trust you.”

He let out a slow, deliberate sigh. Closing his eyes, for what felt to Betty like minutes.

“Listen, Jughead. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in an awkward position. I can tell you’re not into it-“

Jughead’s eyes sprung open, snapping his head to the left to face Betty.

Seeing the twist of emotions and confusion flitting across her face, he leaned in closer to her, so his nose rested on her temple. Eyes dark and sure, he placed his hand on her bare thigh.

“The problem is, Betty…” He breathed softly into her ear, “I would fucking destroy you.”


	2. II: Limbo

It had been two days since the conversation at Pop’s, and Jughead spent every minute trying harder than the last to stop thinking about it.

_“Would you wanna have sex with me sometime?”_

He avoided the street that the Register was on for fear of seeing her. For fear of invasive thoughts that he struggled to control. He didn’t even know exactly what he thought. He was just consumed by the idea of her.

What did she want from him? What did she want with him? Did she really want him? Was it some sick dare? But if so, why did she tell him about the article?

He wasn’t worried about the article. People wrote shit about the Serpents every other day. But why did she care? No one else did. Jughead remembered Betty as someone with a pervasive sense of justice, but he didn’t expect that to transcend family feuds and local deeply-held grudges.

If of one thing he was certain since their meeting, it was the fact that he’d underestimated her.

“What do you think, Jughead?” Toni’s voice snapped him out of his daydream.

They were sitting outside in the trailer park, soaking up the final rays of evening sun.

“Huh?” Jughead responded lazily, taking a long drag from the cigarette he was smoking.

“What’s Betty Cooper’s deal? Doesn’t she have any friends? That was so weird, the other day, the way she showed up all messy and urgent. Like something out of a fucking horror movie.”

“She has friends.” Jughead said.

“Oh yeah. I forgot you guys used to be pally.” Toni lilted.

“What did she want with you, anyway?” Sweet Pea added.

“She said her mom’s writing some article about us. About the Serpents.”

Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea exchanged looks before slowly returning their gaze to Jughead.

“What?” Jughead said.

“That’s it?” Sweet Pea pressed.

“Yeah.”

“Betty Cooper asked you to meet her alone for ‘something important’ and it was just another damn rag piece?” Toni crossed her arms.

Jughead nodded, eyebrows raised in impatience.

Fangs let out a low, quiet laugh.

“What’s your problem, asshole?” Jughead stood up, threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with more force than necessary. The dry ground crackled under his boot.

“No problem, boss.” Fangs raised his palms slightly, gesturing innocence, “But that Northsider has it bad for you.”

Jughead sat back down. “Whatever.”

“That’s it? Whatever? I’d be stoked, man. Betty’s hot.” Sweet Pea weighed in.

Toni cackled. “Jughead would never be interested in a Northsider. Vanilla’s not his flavor.”

“Shut the fuck up, Toni.” Jughead said, calmly.

Toni widened her eyes in surprise. “Alright, alright.”

“Anything we should know about this article, anyway?” Fangs asked.

“No.” Jughead stood up. “I’m going to bed.” He added, and departed the group.

He entered the trailer and slammed the door, his mind a flurry of dull confusion.

He thought of pouring himself a drink, but since FP had been sober they kept no alcohol in the trailer. He made a move towards the kitchen table to his laptop. His writing usually took his mind of whatever annoyance was plaguing the town at the time. But he stilled himself before opening it. He knew it wouldn’t be any use. These thoughts were different.

Pulling his beanie off with a slow, jagged sigh, he turned on his heel and headed to his room.

As he lay on his mattress, sheet cast aside with the heat of the evening, he wiped the sweat from his brow. A wave of frustration at his friends’ words hit him. He shouldn’t have let them get to him. 

Why did they have to bring up Betty Cooper?

“Fuck it.” He groaned, and slipped a hand into his boxers.

He was already rock hard.

He felt an intense wave of relief wash over him as he allowed himself to indulge in thoughts of the blonde that he had been swatting away like wasps for days.

He wrapped a firm hand around his length and began to stroke. 

He thought about her plump, pink lips.

_“Would you wanna have sex with me sometime?”_

He groaned. 

He thought of her breasts, peeking out of a sundress, and the smell of her shampoo when he sat beside her.

He thought of her running up to them at the edge of the forest, cheeks pink and sweaty. He imagined picking her up there and then, placing her on the picnic table, and fucking her until she screamed his name, wrapping her legs around him as he drilled into her tight, wet walls, over and over.

“Oh – shit.” He grunted, and came all over his hand in seconds.

 

X

 

On the other side of Riverdale, Betty lay in bed clad only in a pair of white cotton panties. The heat was unbearable. She got up to fetch the fan from inside her closet and plugged it in before placing it on her bedside table, facing her.

The air was refreshing but insufficient, and she rolled from side to side attempting to cool the various parts of her body. She accepted that sleep was not going to come any time soon, and let her mind wander.

Like during most quiet moments over the past two days, she let her mind dip into the delicious memory of Jughead’s whispered words.

_“I would fucking destroy you.”_

His hot breath on her ear. The surprisingly soft skin of his hand on her thigh. The way his fingers tightened their grip almost imperceptibly as he whispered to her.

But it was more than that, too. Sitting at the diner, eating with Jughead, she felt so at peace. More so than with any of her other friends. Like, she could say or do anything and he would just accept it. He didn’t see her as the meek, agreeable girl she often felt pushed into being around most people. He just took her words at face value, exuding waves of calm and quiet confidence.

She wondered, for the hundredth time, what he had meant with those titillating words. After saying them, he pulled away from her and returned to his original seat across the table. They finished eating, settled up, and went their separate ways.

She wondered if they were words of loathing. Did his resentment towards the Northside run that deep? Did he want to hate-fuck her?

She thought maybe they were words of fear and experience. Maybe he didn’t want her embroiled in his gangland world. Maybe he didn’t want her any closer to him than she already was.

Or maybe - and this thought was the one that set Betty’s entire body aflame - they were words of lust. There was a possibility, albeit small, that Jughead Jones, the notorious Southside Prince and tortured mystery, desired her. The thought was almost too much for her to handle.

She stared down at her nipples, pink and erect from the breeze of the fan, and pinched one with her left hand.

“Ohh…” She moaned.

People talked about him a lot. The girls in her grade spoke of him as a mythical-esque fantasy. He was beautiful, undoubtedly so, but that wasn’t what drew people in. Not alone, anyway. 

Jughead Jones held a power over people. He was calm, but reckless. Sinister, yet charismatic. He was entirely unpredictable, and it made him stand out.

She never thought he would be interested in her. Not because she was lacking in confidence, or thought she was ugly, but because why would he be? He could have anyone.

She thought of his jet-black hair. It looked to silky smooth. 

Just like his skin. She yearned to touch it.

_“I would fucking destroy you.”_

He said he wouldn’t sleep with her. But he wanted to. Jughead Jones wanted to fuck her. 

She squeezed a breast in each hand and let out an audible sigh.

“But I want you to.” She whispered into the dark, empty room.

Her panties were sticky with sweat and arousal. She slid her hand down into them and dipped her index finger into the hot, soaking folds. She moaned again.

Coating her index finger in her juices, she dragged it back up to draw small circles around her clit and began to whimper softly. She had never been this wet before.

“Please fuck me Jughead.” She begged into the night. 

“Please.”

 

X

 

That Wednesday was the hottest day of the Summer so far. Fangs needed to pick something up from the hardware store, before doing the usual town circuit in his van.

“You coming, Jug?” He stood at the entrance to the trailer, waiting for an answer. “Sweet Pea’s got a cooler full of beers for after. We’re gonna drive down to the River.”

Jughead stood in the doorway, nodding sleepily in agreement. Until his whole body stiffened suddenly at an unexpected thought. The hardware store was right beside the offices of the Register.

“Maybe I’ll just meet you guys at the river later. I’m still kinda… tired.”

Fangs looked at him questioningly. “Uh, you gonna walk?”

Shit. “Oh yeah. Sure, I’ll come. Let me just grab my stuff.”

Jughead closed the door and ran a hand through his hair. He was acting like an awkward child.

“Get a fucking grip.” He muttered to himself, as he went to change out of his pyjamas.

 

X

 

Fangs pulled up the truck across the road from the register before hopping out to run to the store.

“I’ll be back in five.” He told them, before running across the road.

Betty wasn’t in the office, to Jughead’s great relief, and he lowered the window of the passenger seat to let in what little fresh air the hot day could provide.

Out of nowhere, emerged Betty Cooper carrying three huge boxes in her arms while walking towards the office. Jughead quickly pulled a book out of his pocket and opened it on a random page, inspecting the words carefully as though they were instructions to follow. She hadn’t seen him yet. He could avoid any interaction.

Suddenly he heard a thud coming from her direction, followed by the faintest “Oh, crap.”

His head jolted up to look instinctively. She had dropped the boxes. They had burst on impact, leaving hundreds of envelopes, pencils and erasers strewn across the pavement and the road beside them.

She bent down to pick them up, and from that angle he couldn’t help but notice the smooth, perky quality of her ass under the tiniest pair of cotton running shorts he had ever seen. His heart began to accelerate uncomfortably. 

Coming from just behind him, Jughead heard a car door open and shut, and looked back to see Sweet Pea running out of the back seat and across the road to help her out.

He ran a hand anxiously through his hair (today had simply been too hot for a beanie), before looking back down at his book, creasing his brow in concentration.

“We better get out and help too or we’ll look like assholes.” He heard Toni say flatly from behind him.

He pretended not to hear.

Toni hopped out of the car and took a few steps across the road, before turning around to face him again. “You coming Jughead?” She called out, with more volume than necessary.

Sweet Pea and Betty’s heads lifted, and all eyes were on him. He grunted reluctantly and stepped out of the car.

He crossed the road, half hiding behind Toni, as they reached the area requiring attention. 

Jughead silently focused on a few square feet of the road, picking up the stray items without looking up once, not even to check for traffic.

“Thanks, Jughead.” Betty smiled at him, as he dropped what he’d collected into the box at her feet. He nodded in response.

“No beanie today?” She asked playfully, almost under her breath.

Jughead stared at her sharply. 

He shook his head, eyes slowly dropping to her miniscule shorts, before dragging down her legs. “Too hot.” He muttered, before bringing his eyes back to her face.

There were still two whole boxes left to refill. Jughead turned around and walked back to the car alone, rolling the window closed beside him when he got in.

Despite his best efforts, his eyes occasionally flitted up from his book to glance at the scene unfolding across the road.

It wasn’t too often. But enough to see Betty bite her bottom lip as she leaned forward to pick up the eraser that was closest to the car.

 

X

 

After Betty asked Jughead to sleep with her, she didn’t think it had been a big deal. She viewed it as a product of boredom and frustration.

But the more time passed, the less she could view things through that lens. Had a pert of her always seen him in this way? Had she always craved his soft and sallow skin?

Every day was harder than the next. Every corner she turned she half expected to catch a glimpse of jet-black hair. She was semi-permanently weak at the knees. And it frustrated her.

But what confused her even more, was that part of her loved it. Loved the feeling of roaming the streets in her flimsiest tank top hoping for a split second of thrilling eye contact.

So she would be lying if she said her heart rate didn’t accelerate when she saw the flash of a Serpent jacket outside the register one evening as she left the office. The wearer of the jacket had walked by, quickly, and appeared to be leaning against the side of the window. Betty couldn’t make out a face, but it was safe to say the thud of her pumping blood was almost deafening in her ears as the opened the door letting the humid heat of the evening hit her skin like a moist blanket.

But once she turned left and focused on the figure, she was shocked.

"Toni. Hi."

Toni smirked and flicked some hair over her left shoulder.

"Hey there Betty Cooper."

Betty stared at her for a few seconds before turning away and beginning to make her way home.

"I came here to talk to you." Toni said, a little louder.

"What's your deal? You've been around all Summer. We see you, you know? We all do. Skulking around alone looking somber."

Betty stopped walking and turned back around, crossing her arms.

"Are you here to tell me I'm a loner?"

"No. I'm here to find out what's changed."

Betty paused, squinting quizzically. "Nothing has changed."

Toni took a step towards her. "Jughead told us about the article."

"Alright."

"But I know that's not all it is."

The crease in Betty’s brow deepened. 

"I'm not quite sure what you're referring to."

"Jughead is hiding something. Or you are. But I can tell there's more to it. He's acting cagey. More so than usual, even, which is a lot."

"I can assure you, Toni, I know nothing of the goings-on in Jughead's life right now. Or, ever, really."

"Then why was it so awkward between you two yesterday?"

"Awkward when?"

"We helped you out. After your little accident. But… you saw Jug. I mean, he’s no Ned Flanders at the best of times but it wouldn’t have taken a genius to see he was pissed. Or maybe not even pissed. Maybe… scared?”

“Toni, I really don’t think you’re-“ 

“You know what Jug made us chant when he became co-leader of the Serpents? His contribution to our legacy?”

Betty shook her head.

“"Don't draw attention through unnecessary disrespect.". It's a motto of his. His behaviour towards you was abnormal. And I wanna know why.”

"So you think Jughead and I are hiding something because he thinks I didn't need an entire gang to help me pick up the contents of a few stationery boxes? Wow, Toni, that's truly a riveting theory you've got."

"Fuck you. I can tell when people are hiding things."

"Clearly."

"What do you have on him, Betty?"

"Excuse me?"

"Photos?"

"Ew. No! Gross."

“You blackmailing him with something?”

“What?!”

Toni had moved so close to Betty that their faces were close to touching. For someone so small, her presence was alarmingly imposing.

"Whatever it is, I'm gonna find out. And if it involves us, our gang, in any way? You can bet it won’t end well for you. Or your family. In the meantime, stay the hell away from us."

With one last withering stare, Toni turned and walked across the road and hopped onto her motorcycle. 

Betty rolled her eyes and walked home, mildly disappointed that the interaction hadn’t been what she hoped for.

 

X

 

That same night, Betty awoke from a gentle half-sleep to the sound of knocking on her window.

Rubbing her eyes, she slid her bare legs out from under the covers and over the edge of the bed. Clad only in a tank top, she considered pulling on some pyjama bottoms, but something stopped her. There was only one person she could think of that would be knocking on her window now. It was him this time. It had to be him. She silently moved barefoot towards it.

Reaching the glass, she slowly bent down, coming face to face with Jughead’s dark eyes. Through the low light, fixed on her. She slid the window open.

“Do you wanna come in?” Betty whispered.

His gaze trailed from her bare legs up to her chest before landing back on her bemused, intrigued eyes.

“Are your parents home?” He murmured, quiet as the night whence he came.

“Yeah. They’re asleep though.”

He paused, then nodded. 

Betty moved aside to allow him room to climb in.

She hung her head a little, transfixed by her toes curling in the carpet, while he straightened himself to a standing position a few feet away from her.

She cleared her throat. 

“What are you doing here, Jughead?” Her voice slightly louder than a whisper, as she raised her eyes to meet his.

They stared at her unapologetically.

“Let’s do it.” 

In quick succession, Betty closed her eyes, raised her eyebrows, and began to nod her head slowly, up and down, processing.

“I’m presuming your request still stands?” He added.

Her eyes opened. “Um… yeah. I mean, of course.”

“Good.” 

“But…” Betty began, voice laced with hesitation, "Toni came to the register today. She thinks we're hiding something. She's pissed."

At her words, Jughead placed a hand to his forehead, rubbing it slowly back and forth. 

"Toni… can't find out about this."

"I thought you said it didn’t matter what Toni thought.”

"I don’t. But it’s not about her. No one can find out. No one can know, alright?"

Betty let out one solitary, sarcastic laugh. "I wouldn't have anyone to tell."

"I'm serious, Betty. The Serpents are tribal. If they found out about this I could be out."

She widened her eyes, taken slightly aback "OK, alright. I won't tell."

"And don't do that thing, with your eyes, that you do sometimes."

"What?"

"You know, that look. Look, you’re doing it right now-“

“I’m not doing anything!”

“-when your eyes go all big and glowy. Like an owl."

"You want me to stop looking at you in a certain way? Are you serious?"

"Betty. If this is gonna happen without anyone finding out, in a town like Riverdale, we-"

"I get it. We have to pretend like nothing has changed. When we see each other."

"No.” Jughead paused, hand running pensively against his jaw, “We have to be even less than before. Act like you barely know me."

"But why?"

"Because. Everything is gonna be different between us. And anyone looking for something will be able to see it."

"I think you're being a little dramatic."

"You think you're gonna look at me the same way after we've had sex? After I've seen you naked?"

Betty’s tone remained calm and steady. "You and Toni fuck all the time and there's no spark between the two of you that I can discern from afar so I really think I’ll be fine.”

He cocked his head to the side and his eyes narrowed. “Nice, Betty. Real mature.”

She shrugged, brazen-faced. “What, you think you’re gonna do me so good that every time you see me I’ll melt like butter at your gaze?”

“Betty, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not trying to-“

“If it’s gonna be this stressful for you, maybe we should just call it off.” She challenged, staring at him. “I was the one who wanted this. Not you. And I get it. You have a lot to lose, and nothing to gain. You don’t have to agree to doing this because you feel bad for me. Or maybe you wanted to but are now realizing that it’s not such a good idea. Either way, this is an out, Jughead. You’re allowed to change your mind.”

Jughead dropped his head and curled his hands into fists by his side. Slowly, breathing deeply, he lifted his head slowly and took two steps forward so that his chest was an inch away from hers.

Their hot, deep breaths blew softly onto each other’s faces as they fixed each other with a hard stare. Jughead’s jaw appeared tight and strained, as though he was grinding his teeth.

“I haven’t…” He said, bringing his mouth closer to her ear, “changed…” he placed a hand on the outside of her bare upper thigh, “my mind.” He finished, leaning in impossibly slowly, hot breath on her neck before biting a tiny nip on the skin there.

Goosebumps rose all over her body as her breathing became shallower.

He moved his head back so that they were staring intensely into each other’s eyes once more, before speaking in a cracked, gravelly tone.

“This is gonna happen.” He rested a hand on her hip and looped two fingers into the fabric of her panties there. “I’d do it here and now if I could.” He rested his forehead against hers. Her breath was shaky, she was sure her heartbeat was audible at this rate. “But no one can find out. Or my future in Riverdale is over. And it’s the only one I’ve got.”

Betty nodded silently and continued staring back at him.

He took a step backwards, still looking at her, and another one, repeating the pattern until he reached the window.

As he began to turn his body around to climb back out, she let out a quiet “Wait.”

He turned his head back towards her.

“Where? When?” She pleaded, voice heavy and more desperate than she intended.

“Saturday night. The trailer.”

She nodded, and he climbed back down.

After he left, she spent some moments standing exactly where he’d left her. Afraid to move lest the burning from where he’d touched her should stop.

Body searing with want, she dragged her legs to the edge of the window where she sat down, staring out into the night. Tingling.


	3. III: New Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This gets pretty, ahem, graphic. It's basically a whole chapter of two horny teens gettin’ it on y’all. Fair warning.
> 
> Also, it alternates POV mid-scene. Hence the paragraph breaks.
> 
> Peace, love & Bughead.

Betty spent all of Saturday at home, getting herself ready. Physically, mentally, and emotionally.

She recognized the futility of many feminine rituals such as shaving, waxing, polishing and preening, but she wasn’t sure what Jughead was used to. She wanted to come feeling ready and prepared.

And she needed to distract herself. She was nervous.

She considered, _ad nauseum,_ the implications of various things she could get wrong. Showing up too late, or too early. Talking too much. Jughead was notoriously silent, she was a nervous talker.

Not knowing what to expect was a foreign concept to Betty. She liked to have things mapped out in her head. At least, to some degree. Would they hang out for a while and build up to the main event? Or would he just push up her skirt and bend her over the couch? The thought made her cheeks flush and stomach flutter. Any and all of the above, with Jughead, sounded… fantastic.

She decided to wear a simple, strappy black velour dress with short brown boots, and let her hair hang in loose curls on her shoulders. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, while applying some light lip gloss, she felt, if not confident, satisfied.

“So, what are you all dressed up for?” Alice asked, as they finished their dinner that evening.

“I’m meeting Archie. We’re driving to a concert in Greendale. Some new band Archie’s friend knows…” Betty traced circles on her plate with her fork, inventing details as she spoke.

“A rock concert! How very _Almost Famous_ of you.”

“I’ll be home pretty late. We might even spend the night in the motel if Arch is too tired to drive. Safety first, and all that.”

Alice nodded, curtly. “Well, it’s your life to discard as you so choose.”

Betty stared across the table with an expression of solemn exasperation. “Mom. It’s one concert. I literally never do anything ever.”

Alice smiled. “Of course not honey.”

She began to clear away the plates and utensils and didn’t look at Betty again.

“Make good choices!” She chirped, as Betty retreated back to her room.

 

X

 

It was a thirty-minute walk from Betty’s house to Sunnyside, but it took her about an hour to get there. 

Her palms were coated in a hot sweat, anxiety mixed with the humidity, as she considered what lay ahead of her.

He hadn’t even given her an exact time. How could she even be sure he was expecting her?

Occasionally she would turn around and start to walk home again, re-thinking the entire thing. What if she had dreamt it all? What if her desire, mixed with delirium from the heat had conspired to make her imagine the whole conversation? She shook her head vigorously at the thought, turning back again to continue her journey to the trailer park. She reminded herself of the feeling of his fingertips on her bare thighs and hips. She reminded herself of the growl in his voice. He wanted her, it had to be true on some level. Even if it was just for the excitement of screwing a Northsider, or the prospect of a forbidden liaison. Even if it was just to provide some new material for one of his fucking novels. Something had made him come to her house two nights ago. And with that in mind she trudged tentatively ahead.

She knocked on the door without allowing herself to think about it, while her stomach convulsed in furious protest.

But when he answered the door, it stopped. And her sweating was replaced by a shiver. For before her stood Jughead Jones in his tattooed glory, jeans low on his hips with a white tank stretched out across the hard planes of his upper body.

“Betty.” He said, softly but with certainty, as he moved aside to let her in.

He ran a hand through his hair, and she smiled instinctively.

“Hey, Jughead.”

She noticed the crackling sounds of music coming from an old record player in the corner of the trailer. The song was familiar and comforting. She thought she recognized it, but passively. _Joy Division_ , maybe. Or _The Cure_. It sounded like the kind of stuff Jughead would have listened to before. Back when she really knew him. 

He gestured for her to take a seat on the couch. She obliged, crossing her ankles and placing her hands on her knees before looking up at him.

As their eyes met again, he spoke. 

“Welcome back.” 

 

X

 

Jughead somehow found himself losing much of the assertiveness he possessed the on the evening at Betty’s a few days before. She was in his space, now. She was getting to see a piece of his world. A piece which, he assumed, would make her see him in a different light. 

She had been over to the trailer before. But they were younger. She had probably forgotten how sparse and pitiable it truly was.

“Do you want a drink? A beer? Or, uh, tea?” Anything to distract her from their surroundings.

Betty shook her head.

They were both sitting on the couch now, pressed against their respective armrests on opposite sides. The tension was grating. 

He had put a record on before she arrived, using FP’s old vinyl turntable. He’d chosen an old _New Order_ album to play. The words echoed around the trailer like a stranger’s commentary on the current situation.

_You're not the kind that needs to tell me about the birds and the bees_

He wondered if she felt uncomfortable.

“Are you warm enough?” He asked.

Betty laughed, slow and breathy. “Jughead. We’re in the middle of a heatwave.”

He smiled, and turned his head to face her. She was smiling back. Her eyes were soft, and full of comfort. She was so… lovely.

“So…” She flattened her hands on the dress on her lap in front of her. “How should we do this?”

“Up to you, Betty. I want you to define this. Whatever we decide to do tonight. Has to be on your terms.”

She laughed again. “Right. Because I’m so fragile and inexperienced.”

“No.” Jughead frowned and placed a hand over hers. “Because. I want this to be great for you.”

“Why…” Betty’s brow trembled a little. “Why are you being so sweet about all of this?”

“You never stopped being my friend Betty.”

They remained there, for moments, or minutes, Jughead wasn’t sure. Light, shaky smiles of quiet anticipation. Betty moved slightly closer so their legs were touching.

“I suppose we should kiss first.” 

Jughead took the hint and leaned in, sliding a hand up her neck, brushing his fingers softly against the skin there. He paused and looked into her eyes that were dancing with eager excitement, before cupping her cheek and taking her lips in his. 

She immediately began kissing back hungrily, hands moving shakily to his lower waist, gripping the fabric there.

Her lips were so, unbelievably soft and plump, and Jughead was startled at how rapidly they both gave into the kiss, becoming lost in the sensations.

He slid his hand around to the back of her neck squeezing it gently as their heads slanted against each other and their mouths opened, tongues dancing against each other, hot and wet. Jughead had promised himself he’d stay gentle but couldn’t help himself from pulling her lower lip between his teeth and sucking it gently, eliciting a gasp from Betty.

“Sorry, did I hurt you?” He said, breathing heavily against her.

Betty shook her head aggressively before climbing onto his lap and straddling him, resuming the kiss.

The slinky black dress she wore had completely ridden up to the point that it was bunched almost around her stomach. Jughead slid a hand up her silky thigh, gripping her panty-clad ass tightly as she ground her core softly against his stiff length.

Betty gasped, sharply. The sensations Jughead was experiencing at every kiss, every touch, almost made him want to slow down. It was all so intense, so much. His mind floated to the idea of how amazing it would be to take it slow. To spend hours making out with her, over days or even weeks, eventually building up to this roaring fire that was brewing between them.

But that wasn't what they were doing.

Jughead ran his tongue in small figures of eight behind her ear and felt her body shiver atop him.

“Take my dress off” She managed to gasp, head resting weakly on his shoulder.

He couldn’t believe her reactions to his touch. He was in awe of the sounds and movements coming from her usually body, usually so poised and restrained.

He placed his hands on the material around her waist and pulled it upwards and over her head, revealing her completely bare chest.

She was frantically pulling at the fabric on his t-shirt, so he reached down and pulled that off too.

Sighing, she pushed their chests against each other, soaking in the sensation of bare skin on skin. 

The feeling of her hard nipples against his chest made his dick twitch. He continued to suckle at her neck and she bit into his shoulder in response, causing him to buck against her. They both let out sounds of pleasure. Betty, a heavy exhale; Jughead, a guttural groan. 

He lifted his hands slowly from their position on her ass, sliding them up her stomach, bringing them to cup her bare breasts. She arched into his touch as he began to rub his thumbs in circles around her hard, rosy-pink nipples. 

“Ahh-“ She let out a slow, deep moan as she threw her head back. 

Jughead began to pinch her nipples and twist them around between his thumb and index fingers, as he pulled back from her neck to watch her body move above him. 

She was grinding against him hard and fast as her breath came fast and impossibly deep, her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Their bottom halves were still (mostly) covered and he was overwhelmed by how erotic it was.

“You’re incredible.” He managed to breathe out before leaning in to take a nipple in his mouth, sucking so hard he was sure it would leave a mark.

“Do you wanna…” She breathed out quickly, “Please. Can we have sex now?”

Her eyes snapped open and looked deep into his. He couldn’t think straight. 

She was rubbing her crotch on top of him, aching and desperate with desire, eyes repeating her words of _please, please, please_. Like a hungry animal begging for food. 

God, he couldn’t believe it was him that had her in this state.

_Just focus on what she wants._

He nodded, and her hands frantically reached for the button of his jeans and he wriggled out of them, taking his boxers with them.

She took in a sharp breath as his penis sprung free.

“Are they always this big?” She asked, playfully.

He chucked in response.

“Do you have a-“ She began, before he reached behind a couch cushion beside him and pulled out a condom.

She laughed at the movement.

“I wanted to have it close by so as to not, uh, ruin the moment.” He smiled, half-awkwardly.

At that she leaned in and kissed him deeply again.

“It’s perfect.” She said, before sliding off his lap to lie down on the couch.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

Her face turned bright red. 

“I just thought, for the, uh, sex…” 

Perhaps it was her quivering, unguarded tone. Or perhaps it was the brief break from their passionate kissing. But something changed in him, and he remembered what he had promised himself before she arrived.

He wasn’t supposed to do it this way. He was supposed to take his time, ravish her, kiss every part of her body. Go down on her. Maybe not even penetrate her at all.

“Betty…” He whispered, pulling away from her slightly. “I think we should slow down.”

Betty’s eyes widened, and her arms snapped up to cover her naked chest.

“What did I do?” She asked.

“No, no! Betty. Nothing. You did absolutely nothing wrong.”

He reached out a hand, smiled warmly and pulled her up to sit beside him.

He stroked her face with one hand and hair with another, silently wondering if he was crossing a line of becoming too emotionally intimate. He didn’t care. More than anything, he wanted her to feel safe.

He leaned in to kiss her again, as they sat side by side on the couch, and she relaxed again.

“I want to see what you like first.” He said gruffly into her ear.

“What do you mean?”

“Lie down.” He instructed.

She lay back slowly on the couch, and he joined her, propping himself up on his right arm, while his left reached out to cup her face.

“Let me know what feels good, OK?”

She nodded.

They stared at each other, while his left hand slid down her neck and over her breasts, stopping to tweak both of her nipples individually. 

“There-“ She gasped. “They’re so sensitive. I never knew they could-”

He replaced his hand with his mouth, as he leaned over to suck on the nipple closest to him.

“Mmmm…” She hummed, rolling her head side to side.

Slowly, he brushed his hand down the soft skin of her stomach, until it came in contact with her panties.

He moved it down a little more and rested his hand on the wet fabric between her legs. Her entire body bucked involuntarily.

He smirked, releasing the nipple from between his teeth and looking at her face. Her mouth was shaped in a soft “o” and her face was bright pink.

He pushed his fingers against the fabric again, and her body spasmed once more underneath him.

“Ah- I’m sorry…” she whimpered “I don’t know why this is happening.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He whispered. “It’s gorgeous.”

He pushed the fabric of her panties aside with his index finger, before dipping the tip of it into her core.

She whined, head banging down against the couch as her eyes squeezed shut.

She was tight and dripping with liquid, as he fingered her slowly, two fingers moving softly back and forth between her lips. He dipped them halfway into her core before expertly coming up to play with her clit between the two fingers.

“Christ, Jughead. I had no idea… Ah…” She panted, “No idea this could feel so good.”

Jughead smiled down at her, smirking.

“Why? You do it yourself a lot?”

She laughed breathily, struggling to concentrate. “Sometimes. Oh…” He inserted another finger. “But never like this.”

Her eyes closed and started to flutter and she brought a hand up, searching for his face.

“Jug- I…” She panted loudly and rapidly.

She was so tender and soft. He leaned in to her hand against his cheek, craving more contact with her.

“Just relax, Betty. Enjoy it.” He breathed.

Her breathing became even heavier, and she opened her eyes only slightly, to stare into his under hooded eyelids.

She moaned as she came, hips bucking up and body spasming repeatedly. He slowly removed his hand from between her legs and she whimpered in protest.

He leaned town to kiss her softly on the lips. After watching her fall apart at his hands, he just needed to kiss her again.

“Jughead… That was… Wow.” She smiled and rolled over to kiss him once more. “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure. Trust me.” He grinned. “We don’t have to do anything else, now. Not that I don’t want to. Um, just, if don’t feel like it anymore, after that, we can just watch a movie or… Or, eat some food.”

She took his hand that had been touching her and brought it up to her mouth for a light kiss. “You’re so sweet. But… I do.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I want more. I want… you.”

 

X

 

She was surprised at herself. 

It’s not that she had trouble expressing herself at the best of times, but her assertiveness in this matter was unusual. This was her first sexual experience of any kind. But here she was, lying naked on a couch with Jughead Jones, telling him she wanted more.

“Alright.” He croaked, clearing his throat. “Alright then.”

At his words, she dropped a hand down to his hard, swollen cock. It was so big. She wondered how she was going to fit it inside of her. She gripped it in her hand and began to rub it softly. His eyes closed, and he exhaled. It sent another jolt straight between her legs.

“Are you, uh, ready?” She whispered.

His eyes opened, glancing down at her hungrily. “Betty, I don’t think it’s possible for me to be any harder than this.”

Her face flushed once more as her lips formed a pouty smile.

“Do you wanna go on top?” He asked.

Her eyes widened. “On top?”

“Of course, we can do it that way if you’d like. But seeing as it’s your first time, I just... want you to control what’s comfortable.”

She looked at his eyes, conveying a vulnerable sincerity that almost made her heart break.

He started rubbing small circles on her shoulder with his thumb.

“Or not. Whatever you want. And we can change, or stop, at any point. Up to you.”

“Ok. I’ll go on top.”

Betty opened the condom wrapper and rolled it tenderly onto his penis. They both sat up on the couch, and she lifted her legs to straddle him once more, mimicking their earlier position.

He planted a kiss on her head and stroked her hair as she lifted her body slightly, penis in hand, and directed it to her entrance.

“Take your time.” Jughead said, his voice coming out in a strangled whisper.

She slowly lowered herself onto him, arms braced on his shoulders, and her eyes fluttered closed.

And it felt so good. Better than she ever could have imagined. She could feel her walls pulling around his breadth. Like silky ecstasy.

“Are you OK?” 

She nodded, opening her eyes.

“It’s tight-“ She said, sliding down a little more, “But it feels really” sliding down some more “really” she yelped “amazing”. His length was now fully submerged in her and she sat pressed against him, her hands grabbing his ass under him, pressing him deeper into her.

“Don’t move yet.” She gasped. “I just want to feel this for a minute.”

With every inch she became more lost in his touch, his embrace, certain that she would barely last. She didn’t want it to end.

He took one of her hands from his ass and pulled it to his mouth, kissing the fingers lightly.

“You’re beautiful.” 

She leaned forward, then, to trap his mouth in an aggressive kiss, as her hips began to slide back off of him, and slowly back on.

“Holy shit.” She said, pulling away from the kiss. “This feels fucking amazing.”

She leaned her hands back so they were resting on his knees, as she continued to slide him in and out of her, jolts of pleasure each time he rubbed her most sensitive spots. It seemed like her whole body was now made up of sensitive spots. The slippery sounds coming from between them music to her ears. She couldn’t believe she’d never done this before.

He placed his hands on her waist, guiding her hips softly. The feeling of him controlling her movements with his strong hands turned her on even more, which prompted her to speed up.

She was staring down at their bodies. At her breasts bouncing up and down above his cock disappearing inside her again and again and again. It was mesmerizing. She thought she could maybe finally understand why people watched porn.

“Touch yourself baby.” He breathed, and his face tensed slightly, as though he’d let the words slip out by accident.

But in response, she whimpered before taking her hands and bringing them to her breasts, pinching her raw nipples.

“Fuck.” He growled.

He dropped a hand down between them and began rubbing her clit in quick, short scratches.

“Ah! Oh my God-“ She was panting wildly as beads of sweat began to form on her brow as she bounced like a rabbit, a mile a minute, top of him.

He placed a hand on her back, and pulled her body forward so her chest was level with his mouth, as he began biting and sucking on her nipples and skin, one hand still massaging her clit.

“Oh. Oh.” She moaned over and over, like a mantra, squinting her eyes closed in pleasure.

“Say my name.” He growled, tilting his head up to look at her face.

“Juggie-“ she gasped, her pussy involuntarily accelerating in speed. She had lost any all control of her body. “Juggie!” She let out a whiny scream.

Moan after moan followed it as she stared down at his wet dick burying itself inside her in long, aggressive thrusts while she came all over it, releasing more fluid between them.

Her walls started to contract around him and his hips started to buck wildly and erratically as he groaned “Ahh, Betty…” And emptied into her, while her body continued to spasm in little aftershocks. Before stilling entirely.

And just like that, it was over.

And they stayed like that for a while, her arms thrown over his shoulders, resting on the back of the couch. His head resting between her sweaty breasts. Until, much to her dismay, he broke the silence.

“I need to take it out.” He said gently into her ear. “The condom.”

She nodded and climbed off him, as he stood up and went to discard the used item. 

When he sat back down, he sat beside her, and pulled her head on to his shoulder to rest.

“You want a drink now?” He asked.

They both laughed.

 

X

 

After Betty had slipped her dress back on, and Jughead had pulled on his jeans, they moved to sit at the kitchen table where Jughead set out some glasses of water for them.

Her eyes gravitated to his glistening chest over the rim of her glass, but he broke her out of her trance.

He placed his glass down softly, and fixed her with an expression she wasn’t sure how to read. “What I said, last week. It’s still important, Betty.”

She wiped her mouth gently before replying. “I know. Act like we barely know each other.”

“Right.” 

“Right.” 

Silence befell them once more, until Jughead playfully kicked her under the table.

“So… Did you get what you wanted?”

“What?”

“An experience?”

Betty’s cheeks pooled with warmth. “Of course, Jughead. This was amazing.”

He nodded with a smile.

“I’m glad. Whoever you’re with next will have their work cut out for them.”

Ambivalent tension hung between them like an uncertain truth.

“So… I guess this is it, then.” Betty stated, plainly.

“Yep.” 

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I wanted to do this.”

Betty giggled nervously. “It’s not like you don’t have other options.” 

“Oh please, Betty.” His voice was laced with derision.

She arched a brow. “This?” She pointed between them. “This must’ve been pretty damn pedestrian for you, Lothario.”

He laughed, turning his head to face the window.

“You have no… idea” He hummed to himself, guardedly. Giving nothing away. As always.

“So.. I guess I should leave.” Betty tested.

He turned his head, not quite facing her, but enough to be heard as he quietly said, “you don’t have to.”

But there was something. He was holding back, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s OK. I should probably be getting home anyway. My mom…” She offered half-heartedly.

He nodded, saying nothing more.

“Alrighty then.” 

She picked up their glasses and went to wash them in the sink, before picking her small bag up from beside the couch where it lay open. She had packed a spare pair of underwear, presumptuously. She hoped to God he hadn’t seen them.

She turned to face him before opening the door.

“Guess I… won’t see you around then.” 

He stood up and walked up to her, pressing a hand to her lower back and bringing her in for a last, open-mouthed kiss.

“Goodbye.” He whispered, opening the door behind her.

With a final blush, she was gone.


	4. IV: Truth or Consequences

As soon as Betty left, Jughead took a nap. The implications of their evening still stirring uncomfortably around his mind. Like bad tea. The inability to relax or forget about it pissed him off.

So he went to bed and fell slowly asleep, mind and body sufficiently exhausted.

Until he was woken up by a knocking of the front door. It opened immediately afterwards.

“Jughead, son. You in?” 

He pulled on a t-shirt over his boxers and shuffled in to the kitchen.

“Hey Dad –“

Jughead stopped in his tracks as he saw Toni saunter in behind FP, large shopping bag in hand.

“Toni offered to help bring in the groceries. That’s some well-mannered company you keep, Jug.” He chuckled.

Jughead nodded and went to turn back towards his room.

“Aren’t you gonna help us with the bags, Jug?” Toni called out across the room.

Reluctantly, he turned back around to face them.

“Yeah, sure.” He said.

The three of them stacked away the contents of the bags for a few brief minutes, until there was nothing left and Jughead moved to leave the kitchen once more.

Once back in his bedroom, he began to take off his t-shirt again until he heard the door creak open behind him.

He jerked his head back around, to see Toni closing the door behind her. He quickly put his t-shirt back on.

“Hey, Jug.” She smiled softly at him.

“Uh, hey, Toni. What are you doing here?”

“FP looked like he needed a hand.”

“No, I mean, in my room. What are you doing here?”

She shrugged, “We missed you today. By the river.”

“I was gone one day.”

“What were you doing?”

Jughead grabbed his beanie from the bed behind him and put it on. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” She raised a manicured brow.

“Just the usual. Doing some writing.”

“But you always do that when you’re with us anyway.”

Jughead sat down on the edge of the bed. “Look, Toni, what do you want me to say?”

She sat down next to him. “Nothing. It’s just, you’ve been acting weird all week. And now it kinda feels like you’re avoiding us. Or maybe you’re just avoiding me.”

“What? No. Why would I be avoiding you?”

She placed one of her small hands on his shoulder, turning him towards her.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m being… paranoid. Things just feel different. Between us.”

He placed one of his hands on top of hers on his shoulder.

“You have nothing to worry about. We are fine.”

“OK.” Toni nodded.

“Also…” She said, taking her other hand and put it gently on his knee. “It’s been a while since we…”

Jughead stood up abruptly. “I’m kinda tired.”

“You’re tired? From what?”

“I got a lot of writing done today. And I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Toni squinted her left eye, looking mildly incredulous. He didn’t care enough, lacked the energy to come up with something more convincing.

“Seriously? That’s your excuse?”

He nodded, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“You know what, Jughead? I seriously hope something’s up with you. Because if there isn’t? Then you’re just acting like a straight-up asshole. I’ll show myself out.”

The door to his room closed loudly as he flopped down onto his bed again.

 

X

 

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my reprobate daughter.”

As soon as Betty shut the front door behind her, Alice’s sharp tones echoed to her from the kitchen. Betty followed them, reluctantly.

Alice sat at the table, wine glass in hand, as Fred stood behind her finishing the dishes.

“Hi Mr. Andrews.” Betty nodded.

“Hi Betty. You look very pretty this evening.” Fred gestured towards her from the sink.

“I noticed Fred and Archie were home.” Alice interjected. “No plans on a Saturday night! How unlikely that our schedules would converge so conveniently. So, I invited them over for dinner.”

“Oh, um, that’s nice.”

“How was the concert? Did you find another ride?”

Betty nodded. “Yeah.”

“That’s so interesting! What were the band called again? Because Archie said he didn’t know any bands in Greendale.”

“Excuse me?” Betty’s neck began to heat up.

Alice took another sip of wine and smiled. “Oh yes. Wanna pick another alibi?”

“Alice.” Fred chimed in. “She’s eighteen. Remember us at that age?”

“She is my daughter, Fred. I don’t tell you how to-”

“It was _The Yellow Pirates._ ” Archie’s voice boomed as he entered. “You were at Reggie’s band’s gig tonight, right?” He placed a hand on Betty’s forearm and turned to Alice. “I totally forgot. Man, I’ve been a crappy friend to him recently. Were they good?”

Betty exhaled deeply and smiled gratefully, “Yeah. Uh – great.”

“Awesome. They’re a fun band.” Archie smiled warmly.

“I’m gonna go. To my room. I’m feeling pretty tired.” Betty said.

“Do you mind if I join you? I’ve been meaning to ask you about some new material I’ve been working on.” Archie asked.

Betty hesitated, somewhat dazed. “Sure. Absolutely.”

“I am not finished with you yet, young lady.” Alice threatened with a glare.

“Goodbye Mr. Andrews, it was good to see you.”

Fred nodded with a smile, “Bye Betty.”

Betty grabbed Archie by the hand and pulled him upstairs.

When they reached her room, she slammed the door shut behind them and let out a shaky breath she’d been holding in.

“Wow, Betty, are you OK?”

“Yeah, Arch. I’m fine. I just. Well, you saw, I told my mom I was gonna be with you.”

“That’s no problem. But next time? Let me know first. So I can cover for you.”

“I thought you were visiting Veronica in New York!”

“I was supposed to be. But we, uh, had a fight.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I mean, Veronica never mentioned-“

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal. We’ll be fine.”

Betty took another deep breath and moved to sit down on the chair by her dresser. Archie stood awkwardly, hands deep in pockets.

“So… Are you gonna tell me where you really were?”

Betty looked up at him, apologetically. “No. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

Archie looked surprised. Confused. “What? Seriously?!”

“I can’t. It’s not you, I just can’t tell anyone. I made a promise.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“What? No. Of course not.”

“Are you doing anything illegal?”

Betty laughed. “Are you my mom?”

Archie smiled with a sigh and took a seat on her bed. “Remember when we used to tell each other everything? Like, really, everything.”

“I still tell you everything. Just, not this.”

“Alright.” 

“Do you wanna tell me about what happened with Veronica?”

“Um, sure. We just, got into an argument. About…” He let out a hollow laugh, “her family. What else?” 

Betty smiled sympathetically, “What did they do this time?”

“Nothing. Just, more of the same. The people they conspire with, Betty. The things they do to people. If you knew the half of it… But it’s just a bit closer to home this time.”

Betty’s interest was piqued. “You mean, in Riverdale?”

Archie rubbed his forehead. “Yes. I mean, no. Maybe. I guess I can’t really tell you about it either. I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright. I guess we’re destined to hold secrets from each other.” She teased.

“I wish we didn’t have to.” Archie said.

“I know.” Betty nodded. “So do I.”

 

X

 

Later that same night, FP knocked on Jughead’s door.

“Son. You asleep in there?”

“No, Dad, just reading.”

“Mind if I come in?” He opened the door and took the few short steps to the edge of the bed.

Jughead patted the mattress, gesturing him to sit down.

“So… what was all that about?”

“All what?”

“I saw Toni leave. She didn’t look too happy. I hope you didn’t do anything… hurtful.”

“No, Dad. Of course not. At least, not on purpose. Toni’s my friend. I don’t know. I think maybe, she wants to be more.”

FP nodded his head slowly, rubbing his hands together. “Ah, of course. The ever-complicated male-female friendship. Two snakes in one burrow. Fated to mate.”

Jughead rolled his eyes. “OK, hilarious, Dad. You’ve found an appropriate snake metaphor for the occasion, feel free to leave now.”

“I’m just sayin’, son. You know, Toni’s a nice girl. There’s no harm in keeping an open mind.”

“I don’t think that’s what’s best for either of us. We don’t exactly have a lot in common.”

FP raised an eyebrow.

“Is there someone else.”

“No!” Jughead’s voice raised unexpectedly. “I mean, there isn’t. There’s no one… else.”

FP slapped a hand on Jughead’s back.

“Well then. Spend enough time with anyone and you’ll have something in common with them. You could do worse than to pair off with another Serpent. Especially one so tough.”

“Dad.” Jughead frowned, “I’m eighteen.”

“And?”

“I wanna do things with my life. I’m going to college. I know it’s only community college, but if I do well there, maybe that’ll be the beginning of more. I wanna travel. I wanna meet people that aren’t…” He sighed, “from Riverdale.”

FP paused and looked Jughead straight in the eyes.

“I know that, boy. I do. And you can keep working on those dreams. But remember, that’s what they are. Dreams. Us Serpents, we don’t have it easy. Oftentimes all we have is each other. This may be a hard pill to swallow, Jug, but it’s time to get used to the idea that this might be it for you. This might be the best it gets.”

Jughead stared back and began to nod. “I know.”

“I don’t wanna be the bearer of bad news, here. But you can’t live in fantasy land forever. Give Toni a shot. She’s beautiful. And she likes you.”

“You’re right.”

FP slapped his back once more, before standing up.

“Now get some rest, son. If you’ve got big life plans you’d wanna be well-rested while working on ‘em.”

 

X

 

From the moment she woke up the next day, a small but powerful internal war had been waged in Betty’s mind.

Two emotions overtook her. The first, the desire to forget the unbridled intensity of the previous night and hide from Jughead. Forever. The terms of their agreement stipulated that nothing more could happen, and in order to respect that, she wanted to chop him out of her life like an infected limb. 

The second, however, was less a desire. And more, a primal need. When she smelled tobacco smoke, her entire body stood to attention. When her mind wandered back to his trailer, a shocking wave of heat traveled from her stomach out to her fingertips, settling between her legs restlessly.

Now that she knew what sex with Jughead was like, she needed more.

How the hell was she supposed to back to seeing him around the place when he was the only person who knew what her face looked like when she came? 

She reasoned that the feeling would fade eventually and attempted to go about her day as normal. But nothing was the same.

She thought about him over breakfast. She thought about him when she went out running. She thought about him in the shower… a lot.

The memories of the night before refused to leave her, and it was with a heavy heart that she forced herself to remember what followed. A promise of avoidance. A promise of denial. She couldn’t reconcile the two memories, the two emotions. And she was left with a choice. To accept it, and find a way to move on, or to change it.

As the week went by, stolen glances that sent her red aplenty, she had made up her mind. She couldn’t accept it.

By the time Tuesday had come, and the sun was dropping softly into the horizon. She had decided on one thing. She needed advice, and she needed it now.

She sent a text.

_Kevin. Major crisis. I need your advice. Total secret. Promise to take it to your grave?_

Instantly, a response came.

_Facetime in 5 minutes._

 

X

 

“How’s the road trip?!” Betty asked Kevin, staring at his face in the blue light of her cell phone screen.

“Oh my God Betty, it’s incredible. We finished up in Texas two days ago and moved on to New Mexico. We spent yesterday in the White Sands National Monument. I’ve never seen anything so… white! It was like snow - but burning hot to touch. Can you even imagine?! Anyway, now we’re staying in a little town called Truth or Consequences. That’s the actual name of the town, by the way. Truth or Consequences. Joaquin thinks it’s like, super literary and elegant sounding but if you ask me it was written by someone mid-acid trip who actually wanted to call it Truth or Dare but couldn’t remember what the game was called.”

Betty laughed hysterically in her small room, resting her forehead on the screen of the phone. “Kevin that’s amazing! God. I miss you so much.” She positioned herself clearly in front of the screen once more, laughing subsided. “I really wish you would come back now.”

“Only one more month to go Betty. But wait – you need to tell me your news! The reason for this wonderful surprise call. What predicament have you managed to land yourself into this time?”

Betty covered her face with the hand that wasn’t holding the phone. “Oh, God, Kev. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Well, it’s clearly a boy. So you can start there.”

“I… had sex.”

Kevin shrieked in exclamation and covered his mouth. “Betty Cooper, you absolute vixen. How did it happen? Do I know him? Or her?!”

“You do. But, oh God, Kevin. It’s bad. He doesn’t want anyone to find out. Which is… understandable. For certain reasons. But I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m literally obsessed. When I went out running today I literally hid behind a tree because I thought I saw him nearby. Just to watch him. What the hell, Kevin? I’m not a stalker?”

“Holy crap. And this is someone I know. Shit, is it Archie? And he’s still dating Veronica?! If that’s the case Betty I swear to God-“

“It’s not! He’s not cheating on anyone. The person in question.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Betty played with her split ends as she spoke, avoiding eye contact. “Our families have some conflict. Plus, he’s involved in some shady stuff he doesn’t want me involved in. And the people he works with would… disapprove.”

Kevin laughed on the other end. “Come on, Betty. How bad can it be? You’re making it sound like you’re screwing Jughead Jones or something.”

Betty dropped the ends of her hair and stared back at the screen, expression blank.

“What? Betty, I was kidding.”

Betty bit her lip and started to nod.

“Why are you nodding?”

She widened her eyes suggestively.

“It’s not… Right?”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Jughead fucking Jones?! You fucked Jughead Jones? Betty!! I need a minute.” Kevin’s mouth was wide open as he raised a hand to his forehead and held it there, staring away from the screen.

“… Kevin?”

His eyes gravitated back to her, and Betty cracked a smile. At that, both of them burst out into fits of laughter.

“Betty!” He squealed through tears of laughter. “How is this the most exciting thing to happen in either of our lives and I’m not even around?!”

“Oh come on it’s not that big of a deal, Joaquin used to be a Serpent.”

“Yeah, used to be. He’s not a teen gang _leader_!”

They continued chortling, cellphones shaking in their hands.

“Co-leader.” Betty managed to squeak out. “But wait!” she stopped laughing. “You cannot tell Joaquin. Whatever you do. You absolutely cannot.”

“Yeah, yeah, scout’s honor. But come on, you have to tell me. How was it?!”

Betty’s face valiantly attempted to conceal her smile once more. “Well… I just told you I tried to stalk him today.”

“Gah! This is so amazing Betty. Do you realize you’ll probably be the only person in Columbia’s history to have screwed someone who was a gang leader before the age of 18? You’re like a young Nancy Spungen. That’s so hot.”

“Shut up! But seriously, Kevin. I don’t know what to do. I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m like some kind of wild dog that’s just had its first taste of meat.”

“So you want more?”

“Yes!” Betty hissed in a whispered tone. “But we said it would just be one time. And he says no one can ever find out.”

Kevin shook his head with a smile. “Oh, Betty. How deeply you over-estimate the male psyche.”

“What?”

“Guys are simple. Trust me. I’ve had a few. And if there’s one thing I know about them, it’s that they won’t say no to good sex.”

Betty cocked her head and frowned. “You think he didn’t like it last time?”

“No! Babe, not at all. But you both walked away from it. You agreed to that. Because it made sense. Feuding families, fearing a town civil war, blah blah blah. But if you don’t care about that, you can make him get over it too.”

“How?”

“Get him hot and bothered. Remind him what he’s missing out on. Let him know exactly what you want. There is nothing, on this earth, more sexy than confidence.”

“So I should just… seduce him?”

“Yep. And don’t play naïve. If one of the things he’s worried about is you getting involved, make it clear that you know the risks. Show him you want him, consequences be damned. Trust me. There’s no way he’ll say no.”

 

"OK. Alright. I mean, it's worth a shot, right?"

Kevin grinned.

 

X

 

Jughead meandered slowly to the edge of Sweetwater River, where his friends had spent the day drinking. After taking his father’s advice on board, he’d yet to speak to Toni since their conversation. He didn’t want to. Something had been stopping him.

The blonde girl he’d been seeing everywhere was affecting his mood. Making him aggravated, frustrated. She reminded him of his father’s words. She reminded him of the things he would never have. Because when he looked at her, and she looked back, he knew she saw more in him. Around her, he expected more from himself. And, he reminded himself, that was a bad thing. He needed to grow the hell up and get real.

So it was with a resolute sense of acceptance that he dragged his boots to the waterfront, nodding hello to his peers.

“Sup.” Sweet Pea waved to him upon arrival.

“Hey, guys.”

They were passing around a glass bottle filled with brown liquid, sitting on a flat, round rock. 

“Uh, Toni, can I talk to you for a minute?”

She looked up at him with squinted eyes.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.” She stood up and swayed ever so slightly before finding her feet.

He grabbed her arm, and they began to walk away from the group.

“Geez, Toni. Are you drunk?”

Her breath smelled tarry and heavy near his face as he helped her along.

“Let’s just sit down here.”

She nodded. The others were just out of earshot.

“Listen, Toni. I’m sorry if I’ve been acting distant. You don’t deserve that.”

She hiccupped. “Damn right I don’t.”

“I just wanted to apologize. And say, let’s just be honest with each other.”

Toni turned her head to look at him, eyes clouded and unsure.

“Do you like me Jughead?”

“Yeah. I like you.”

“So why aren’t you my boyfriend?”

Jughead looked away. Searching for an answer he could give her. Anything that would make sense.

“I don’t know.”

“So do- does” She slurred. “Does that mean you are my boyfriend?”

Jughead sighed and closed his eyes.

“Yeah, Toni. I guess it does.”

She leaned in, and planted a sticky, bitter kiss on his lips with a smile.

“Good. I’m glad.” She said, resting a hand on his leg. 

She stood up to walk back to the group, and he pulled her hand once more.

“Wait, Toni.”

She fell back down with a thud. “Ow!”

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I just. I can’t lie to you like this. I care about you. But I can’t be your boyfriend.”

Toni’s face started to crumple.

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“Toni, we were never together!”

“Do you wanna stop sleeping together too?”

“No! I mean, yes. I don’t know. I just need some time to figure some stuff out. Is that OK?”

Toni shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I.”

“I thought you liked me.”

“I do. We always said this was never a relationship.”

Toni nodded. “I know. And I was cool with that. It used to be simple. But now you’re so different. I don’t like it. I don’t understand.”

“You’re right. I guess I’m feeling different, too. With going to college. Things changing.”

“You’re not going anywhere, though. I mean, you’re not even moving out?” She laughed, coarsely.

“Exactly.” He was staring at his hands, transfixed.

Toni rolled her eyes. “Alright. I’m done with this conversation. Come back to us when you’re over this quarter-life crisis, will you?”

She stood up and walked back over to Sweet Pea and Fangs.

Jughead let out a long breath and lay down flat on the ground. 

What the fuck was he going to do now?

 

X

 

Meanwhile, Betty was making her way to Sunnyside trailer park.

She knocked on the door once she got there, receiving no answer, which she’d expected.

Her hand reached into her handbag and pulled out a small pink envelope. 

Inside, six simple words were printed in black ink on a small piece of white paper. Words, she hoped, would be clear enough to direct, but opaque enough to intrigue. With sweaty palms, she slipped it through the letterbox, before disappearing from the trailer park.

_Tomorrow at midnight. Blue and Gold._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your reviews! They make me want to write for you guys. More Bughead goodness coming very soon x


	5. V: Two Serpents Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some kinda BDSM-y content. Avoid if you're not into that. If you are, lap it up folks. x

Again, the sun rose. And with it, no peace, no freedom, from his anxieties.

Whoever said ‘sleeping on it’ was at all useful was a liar and a sadist.

Jughead stared into space, cigarette in one hand, piece of paper in the other. He was sitting on the couch in the center of his trailer. The same one he had fucked her on. 

It had to be from her.

He crumpled it up and threw it in the trash can, running a hand through his hair with a long exhale.

To go would be the second most foolish thing he’d done all Summer. After her. He couldn’t risk things becoming worse, less stable, for him.

“No smoking in the trailer.” FP emerged, still pajama-clad from his room.

“Sorry dad.” Jughead put out the cigarette on the sole of his boot.

“Jesus, Jug, you’re not Butch Cassidy. Give it a rest, will you?”

Jughead hunched his shoulders forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

Why did she even want to see him again? She had got what she wanted from him. Plus, he wasn’t deluded enough to think a girl like him was pining silently after him. Maybe she was seeing how far she could push him. How much she could make him do at her beck and call.

He was done with it. Done thinking about it. God knows he’d wasted enough time.

Unless… it was about something else. 

“Dad, can I ask you something?”

“Pretty sure you already are.”

“Is there anything you guys aren’t telling us? The junior Serpent members?”

FP turned to look at him with a deep crease in his brow. “Why?”

“Because if there was, as co-leader of the Serpents, I’d need to know. If you guys, say, were doing anything illegal. I would need to be made aware of it.”

“You have nothing to be concerned about.”

“Maybe I don’t. But, do you?”

FP shook his head with a silent laugh and walked away from Jughead into his bedroom.

 

X

 

Betty sat at the chair of the Blue & Gold Office in Riverdale High, lights turned off save for a small desktop lamp.

It was a quarter past midnight, and he hadn’t come.

She rolled her head back towards the ceiling and her eyelids slid softly shut. What if he never found the letter? Her stomach pulsed nauseatingly. 

What if he got rid of his spare keys? When they were sophomores, before Jughead moved to Southside High, they both got a spare set of keys cut, one for the school and one for the Blue and Gold office, so they could come in early and leave late when they were working on articles.

She could hear the clock ticking. She wanted to walk over and rip the batteries out.

No. The real reason Jughead wasn’t there was harder to swallow. 

Because he didn’t want to be.

She swallowed, feeling the harsh, parched walls of her throat move painfully.

And then the door opened. And along with it, Betty’s eyes.

From the darkness of the hallway, came his unmistakable leather clad, crown-topped silhouette, moving towards her.

He stepped in her direction slowly, the whites of his eyes coming into her focus through the dim light, closer and closer.

Upon approaching the desk, he walked around to the side on which she sat, cleared away some pens with a swipe of his hand, and hoisted his weight onto the surface itself. He sat directly over her.

“Hey.” He said, gently kicking her lower leg with his foot.

“Hey.” Her voice came out like a cracked whisper.

“There’s no one in the building. You can speak in a normal voice.”

“Right, right.” She nodded.

“So. Is this about the article?” 

“No. Not really.”

“Then what am I doing here, Betty?”

Betty shuffled back in her chair. “I thought you weren’t going to come.”

“Why? I came last time you asked me to meet you.”

She pursed her lips for a moment, before adding, “I suppose you’re right.”

“So, care to enlighten me?”

She stood up from the chair, so they were at eye level. Him on the desk, her on two feet.

“I think… We need to talk.”

“About what?”

“This-“ She gestured between them with her thumb and forefinger, “isn’t working.”

“What, exactly, isn’t working?”

“This.” Her eyes widened for emphasis. “This self-imposed restraining order. It’s ridiculous.”

“Betty… Toni is already suspicious.” His head began to lean forward, ever so slightly. “And your Mom. Probably my dad too by now. We need to shut this down.”

“No. We don’t.” She took a baby step closer.

His voice descended to a whisper. “Why not?”

“You were right. I can’t go back to the way we were before. And maybe I’m wrong. But from the way you’ve been looking at me, neither can you.”

She searched in his eyes to glean a reaction. They were inscrutable.

She continued. “So, I have a proposition. Built around what we actually want.”

“And what is it that we both want?”

Betty arched a brow. “I don’t know about you. But I want more. And I want it to be different. I want to learn. I want you to show me everything. To explore. I can’t stop thinking about it. How it felt between us. How… it still feels.” Her blood pumped loud with adrenaline, as she moved closer to rest the very edge of her right pinkie on his knee. She had no idea how she was doing, or saying this, but the thrill it filled her with was rich and drugging.

“Can you feel it Jug?” 

She could hear his breathing become heavier. 

“Betty...” He closed his eyes with a quiet groan.

“What? You think I’m too childish for you? Ordinary? I’m not.”

“I think you deserve better than me.”

“I deserve what I want.” She placed her left hand flat on his left leg. “Do you want it too?”

“You know the answer to that.”

“Then why stop now. There’s still so much you could show me.” Her fingers began to slide up his legs. “We’ve already crossed the line. What difference does it make if we keep going? There are so many things I want to try with you. So many things I can’t stop thinking about you doing to me.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”

He inhaled slowly, reflectively. “The other week, when you asked me to meet you at Pop’s. Did you ever want to talk about the article?”

She tilted her head, quizzically. “What do you think, Jughead?”

He lurched forward and grabbed her face between his hands, capturing her mouth in a hungry kiss. But it was gentle, too. His hands rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs as their mouths opened.

Her hands slid up his legs and around, resting on his lower back, pulling it closer to her, before he slid off the desk without breaking their kiss, to pull her closer where they stood.

His fingers massaged her scalp, scrunchie falling out of her hair, as he kissed her forhead, her nose, and her cheeks.

“I won’t tell anyone.” She breathed into his ear, as his head nestled against her neck, kissing down to her shoulder. She could feel him nodding as his movements continued, before lifting her gently and spinning them around so she sat on the desk in font of him.

“Let me know if anything I do makes you feel uncomfortable, OK?” 

She nodded. “I will.”

“Good.” He said, placing another open-mouthed kiss on her neck, sucking gently as she moaned slightly. 

“Your neck is approximately two feet long.” He commented as he pulled away slowly.

She immediately erupted in laughter and swatted his head with her hand. “I hope that’s a good thing.” She said through a smile.

“It is.”

She sat on the desk, knees together, totally uncertain about what to do next.

He placed a hand behind each knee and drew them apart slowly, staring into her eyes as he did so.

He brought a hand to the button of her tiny denim shorts. “May I?” She nodded, and he dragged them down her smooth legs softly.

She sat, legs apart on the desk, with nothing but a pair of white lace panties and white halter-neck top on.

He stepped back from between her legs.

“Where are you going?” She said.

“I’m right here. Don’t worry.” He said, as he walked around to the other side of the desk so he was standing behind her.

She felt the material at the back of her neck move as he untied the knot on her halter-neck, and it dropped off her chest on to her stomach. Her breasts popped out from under the fabric and hung exposed as the material pooled at her waist.

“Your tits are unbelievable.” He said, admiring her as he walked back around to his original position.

“They’re really nothing special.” She blushed.

“You’re wrong.” He said, staring intensely at her again.

Placing his left hand on the desk for support, he leaned forward over her smaller frame, looking into her eyes for permission, and after her eager nod, his right hand pushed the material of her panties aside and slid two fingers inside of her.

“Shit.” He gasped. “I forgot how tight you were.”

Her eyes were squeezed closed and her mouth half open, breathing shallow.

He pulled them out slowly to coat her clit with her juices, dragging small figures of eight around it.

Her breath hitched and she spread her legs wider apart, until they were almost falling off the sides of the table.

“You like that?” Jughead smirked.

He removed his hand, and she whimpered loudly.

“Juggie…” 

“Don’t worry. I’m only getting started.”

He took his hat off and placed it on the desk beside her, as he got down on his knees between her quivering legs.

He looked up at her, “Have you done this before?”

She shook her head. He smiled back, eyes ablaze.

She stared transfixed as his head came closer and closer to her core, before she felt a wet heat covering her entirely, and his tongue was flat against her.

He held the material of her panties aside with one hand as he lapped at her juices like an ice cream cone. But the lacy fabric kept getting in the way, and with an aggravated tug he ripped them off her.

She took in a sharp breath at the sound.

“I’ll get you new ones.” He grunted.

But when he looked up at her, she was pawing at her chest, mouth wide open, and mewling softly.

“I don’t care” she smiled down at him, dazed, “keep going.”

He grabbed at her ass for support and dove deeper inside the walls of her pussy with his tongue, curling and twisting it against her while she bucked towards his face as much as she could. Her butt-cheeks balanced precariously on the wooden surface. It was creaking beneath her trembling form.

She felt lost in a haze of pleasure, floating above and removed from the hard oak upon which she sat.

The feeling of his hands on her ass pushing her pussy onto his mouth was too much to take.

She moved one hand behind her back to rest on the desk, holding her in place, and moved the other to his hair, burying it in his soft locks.

His mouth was relentless, taking breaks from fucking her with his tongue to suck on each lip of her pussy individually, then coming up to rub the tip of his tongue rapidly back and forth on top of her clit, before delving thirstily back inside her. His fingers were clawing into her ass cheeks at this stage.

“I don’t” She gasped, “think I-“ her head rolled back, “can keep going – much longer.”

He pulled away momentarily to speak. “Let go, Betty.”

She began to whine as her chest heaved up and down. She could feel the largest wave of unbridled pleasure she’d ever experienced building inside her.

“Fuck – Jughead!” She screamed. 

Her feet slammed against the legs of the desk and her head jerked forward violently when she came. She couldn’t stop whimpering.

He continued licking her, softly and affectionately, as her juices continued to flow from her swollen heat.

“Jug-“ she panted, “Juggie, come up here.” 

He removed his mouth and looked up at her. “What?”

“Come here.”

He stood up slowly as she straightened herself back into an upright position. His lips were glistening, covered in her arousal, as he leaned back down to kiss her.

“I want more, Juggie.” She whispered, when they’d broken apart.

She cupped the bulge in his jeans with her hand. “Fuck me.” She said, eyes wide and so incongruously innocent.

He groaned with pleasure. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” She pouted.

“I don’t have anything. With me.”

She let out a little huff.

“Come over on Thursday. My dad won’t be home.”

Her eyes perked up. “What time?”

“Evening. Whenever.”

She nodded eagerly, before pulling him to her by the back of his neck for another kiss.

“Perfect.” She purred.

He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up off the desk. 

“Now, let’s get you cleaned up.” 

 

X

 

The concept of a hookup date had always seemed strange to Betty. But in the two weeks since her reconnection with Jughead, suddenly, it all made complete sense.

Suddenly, it was the only thing in her life that made sense.

Days passed and Thursday rolled along at last. The rest of the time she filled with memories of their previous encounters. She worked on auto-pilot at the register. She avoided Alice at all costs, and she waited for the next time she would see him.

And before she knew it, there she was, waiting for him to open the door. Except this time, she wasn’t nervous. She knew he would be there. Expecting her.

The door swung open and her mouth fell agape. There he stood, in front of her, in nothing but an unbuttoned pair of jeans low on his hips. 

He had clearly just had a shower, his hair hung wet and a few small droplets of water reflected the light on his shoulders and chest.

“I- I’m sorry if I’m early.” She stuttered.

“You’re all good, come on in.” He ushered.

She stepped inside and he closed the door.

“You hungry?” He asked. She shook her head.

“Good. I just ate. Though if you’d said yes, I’d gladly have eaten again.” He breathed a quiet laugh.

Betty smiled, head rocking forward gently. “Well if you want to have a second dinner anyway, I won’t judge you, Jughead.”

He smiled. “Phew, I’m glad. This could never continue if you’d thought that was weird.”

They grinned at each other. Their differences left at the door, they were just two kids like any others, a little awkward, perhaps bashful. But excited.

“So, have you ever seen my room?”

She shook her head. “No, surprisingly.”

“How rude of me. It’s just this way.” He gestured for her to follow him through the kitchen. “Try not to get lost in the palatial corridors. The East Wing of the residence can be difficult to navigate for newcomers.” 

She giggled shyly at his humor. Reassured, remembering that this was the same Jughead she’d always known. The one she’d grown up with.

She followed him into his room, and as soon as she was inside, he turned around and captured her mouth in a kiss. It was soft, and only lasted a moment.

“Sorry...” He breathed afterwards. “I just… really wanted to do that.”

She smiled and whispered back. “It’s ok, I wanted to as well.”

Their faces were about an inch apart as one gazed into the other’s glimmering eyes, before completely dropping the charade, and pulling each other in to feast on each other’s mouths.

About thirty seconds later, Jughead’s naked body had Betty pinned against the door in her underwear as he dragged her panties down with his teeth. 

She hurriedly unclasped her bra and he eagerly jumped up to squeeze her plump and pert breasts in his palms. 

She gasped, hitting her head on the door behind her, before regaining composure and walking him over to the bed, where she pushed him down by the shoulders and climbed on to his lap.

“I’m on the pill” she said, voice confident and certain. “As long as you’re… clean?”

“I’ve never done it without a condom before.”

“Let me be your first.” She said.

Jughead nodded, hands gripping her waist as she sat, pussy a mere inch from his already throbbing cock.

“So. What do you wanna try, Betty?” He said, voice just louder than a whisper. 

“I want you to take control. I want you to do exactly what you said you would. Fucking destroy me. Be rough. Fuck me like you own me.”

A low growl hummed in his throat as he lifted her by the waist off his lap and onto the bed beside him, where she lay, staring up at him with eyes starving and desperate.

“Your wish is my command.” He said.

He rolled her onto her stomach and whispered over her shoulder into her ear.

“I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t remember your name. Only mine.”

She could feel his racing heart pressed onto her back as his fingers skimmed their way up to her slick folds and he slipped his index finger inside her.

She moaned loudly.

“How are you so fucking wet already?”

Her breath came out in quick, heavy pants.

“Answer the question, Betty.” He said, sitting up on the bed.

She was lying face-down in beside him, head pressed to the side.

The hand that wasn’t inside her, he used to slide roughly up her outer thigh and give her a sharp slap.

“Ow!” She said.

“Do you want me to stop?”

She wildly shook her head.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Fuck me.”

“What way do you want me?”

“Like this.” She panted. “Tie me up. And fuck me like this.”

He slid his finger out from inside her to grab a belt from the floor beside his bed. He wrapped it around her wrists tightly.

“Kneel.” He ordered. She did as she was told.

He moved to lay underneath her between her legs, head resting just below her pussy.

He raised his head to take a lick.

“That’s what my girl tastes like.”

She whimpered at his words.

He slid two fingers in again and continued licking her - like an ice cream, dipping softly into her core before tracing his tongue up to her clit where he circled it rapidly, soft and hard. Her knees were shaking.

“Please! Jug! I need you in me now.”

“Not until you come for me Betty. Are you gonna come for me?”

She couldn't control herself at his words. Her orgasm hit her immediately and without warning.

"Yes, Jug! I'm coming!"

Her legs trembled harder, a fresh wave of arousal leaving her pussy and coating his fingers.

“Good girl.” He said, slapping her pussy with the palm of his hand, causing her entire body to spasm.

He slipped out from under her, to kneel behind her. He began palming his hard cock, directing it between her folds, teasing her with the tip.

“You ready for more?” He asked, and she nodded quickly.

He slammed into her, burying himself deep in her tight, wet pussy from behind. What started of as hard, deep thrusts, almost instantly sped up. He slid in and out so fast he was practically drilling her in half.

“Yes. Yes.” She breathed over and over as he fucked her.

She felt like she was going to pass out from the intensity of the pleasure as his cock pounded against her walls. She could feel arousal dripping down her inner thighs.

“You like that Betts? Tell me how it feels.” 

“It feels… ahhh” She almost screamed as he reached a hand around and started circling her raw and sensitive clit with his index finger.

Her ass was bouncing so hard off him he was sure his hipbones were going to leave bruise marks. He grabbed her hips with his left hand, holding them in place so his dick wouldn’t send her flying into the bedpost, and brought his still sticky right hand up to her face, inserting the two fingers that had been inside her into her mouth.

Her voice was coming out in strangled, incoherent words as the walls of her pussy squeezed around his throbbing dick as he rammed into her at an increasingly erratic pace.

He pulled her up from all fours by her hands tied behind her back, lifting her arms behind his head so she balanced upright and her back was flush with his chest.

“I’m gonna come again!” She yelped.

“You’ll come when I say you’ll come.” He growled into her ear as she nodded.

He brought a hand around to her chest so he could fondle her nipples as he took her from behind. 

She moaned as he moved a hand back to her clit, the other still pinching a nipple, working her into a frenzy.

He grunted into the crook of her neck every time he slammed into her, chewing at the skin there until it was purple. The beads of sweat that formed on his chest coated her back and added to the friction.

“I need to come, Juggie!” She whimpered. “Please”

He wrapped his left arm around her waist tightly, holding her shaking body in place, as his thrusts sped up even more. Mouth pressed against her ear, he ordered. “Come.”

They came together, him with a shout, her with a long scream, as they both fell forward onto the mattress, bodies pressed together on top of soft, crisp sheets. She could feel him emptying into her, and she felt complete.

He stayed, unmoving, inside her, as they panted face-down on the bed, planting soft kisses on her shoulder. They came down slowly from their high, as he remained hard inside her for minutes while he kissed her neck.

When they had both calmed considerably, and he had rolled off her, she pulled his head to rest between her sweat-covered breasts. He looked up at her, softer than she had ever seen him, and uttered words she never thought she would hear from Jughead Jones.

“Stay the night.”

 

X

 

Betty awoke before him the next day. He looked younger while asleep, she thought, peaceful looked good on him.

She took in the surroundings for the first, time, glancing curiously around the room. It was less sparse than she’d imagined. Seeing all the books, and movie posters he surrounded himself with made him seem less intimidating.

To her right, below the window, he’d stuck up a few notes on the wall. 

_A beast sacred and profane bore him north, with a beautiful, terrifying woman, to defend a city wonderful in its horrors._

“Enjoying yourself?” A croaky voice teased, beside her.

She turned to look at him. He was smiling warmly.

“What’s this?” She asked, pointing at the note.

“It’s a quote. From one of my favorite books.”

“What does it mean?”

“I’m not sure it necessarily means anything, really. It’s just part of the story.”

“Well if you have it written here you must like something about it.”

“I do.”

She rolled on to her side in her bed to look at him, letting her eyelids bat once, slowly, before looking back up at him. 

He exhaled slowly and the sides of his mouth twitched slightly.

“I like the dichotomies in it. The beast is sacred and profane. The woman, beautiful and terrifying. The city, horrifying and wondrous. I guess I… I don’t believe that anything is entirely good or bad. Most things… most things are both.” He chuckled softly. “That’s actually something my dad said to me once. ‘Most things are both.’ It kinda marked a turning point for me.”

“That seems like a really good philosophy to have, Jug. Even having one at all. That’s great. It’s powerful.”

Jughead smirked and turned on his side so their faces were inches apart, lying in his bed.

“People are disappointing. You’ve gotta find your own way to deal with that.” He paused. “Do you have one?”

Betty tucked the sheet tighter in under her arms and over her chest.

“I’m… not really sure. Will you hold it against me if I say no?” She giggled.

“Yes.” He said, dimples showing as he smiled.

“Be nice to people I guess. Do things with kindness, and an open mind.”

“Groundbreaking.”

They both burst out in a fit of giggles as she kicked at him under the covers.

When the mood stilled, Betty broke the silence once more.

“Who wrote it?”

“Hmm?”

“The quote on the wall. One of your favourites.”

“It’s by this guy, uh, Max Gladstone. It’s from a book.”

“What’s the book called?”

He replied slowly, enunciating every syllable. 

“Two Serpents Rise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, or have any thoughts, do let me know with a review! There's nothing more encouraging than having people engage :)


	6. VI: Crash

As days passed the excruciating heat of early July began to fade, and was replaced with a constant, humid closeness. The river had risen, teasing its banks and threatening to burst, while becoming a popular swimming spot.

Jughead enjoyed swimming too. Who didn’t, really? And on days he knew the Serpents were out of town, when he was certain there was no way they’d make an unexpected appearance, he’d take Betty down to the river to bathe. They would strip down to their underwear and glide in, sometimes hand-in-hand, sometimes racing each other with loud splashes rippling around them. The cool water caused their bare skin to goose-bump, like hundreds of little mouths rising from their hot bodies for a welcome drink.

When she emerged from dipping her dry head underwater the first time on any given day, he felt his chest skip at the way the sun shone off the glistening curves of her face. Her lips, her cheekbones. And the way her eyes exactly matched the color of the river’s depths.

On one day, they had a competition to see who could thread water for the longest. Remaining suspended in the deep center of the river, while not allowing themselves to be carried away by the current. Jughead was strong, but Betty was a skilled swimmer. They floated unmoving in the river for almost two hours.

“I feel like my arms are going to fall off.” Jughead panted.

Betty laughed and splashed him in the face. He sputtered in response.

“Jesus! How can you even move your arm to do that right now?”

She continued giggling, grin plastered to her face. “I’ll never tell.”

“Come on! How did you even get so good at this? Let’s take a break. Just thirty seconds.” He said, chin dipping into the water and back up again.

“We can take an indefinite break if you give up. Say I’ve won.”

“No way. Anything else, I’ll give you. Not that.”   
“We’re gonna get sunburnt if we don’t get back into the shade soon.”

“I’m not letting you win.”

“Fine. How about answering a question. Then we can take a break.”

“Shoot.”

“Have you ever had a girlfriend?”

Jughead stared at her bobbing head across the water. Her expression remained playful and calm.

“Uh, yeah. I did.”

“Really?! Who was it?”

“Midge.”

“Seriously?!”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“I don’t know, I guess you don’t really seem like the girlfriend type.”

“What’s the girlfriend type?”

“Someone that doesn’t sleep with countless women he has no intention of dating?”

For a minute - not even - a second, her words set in his chest and made him feel self-conscious. Heavy. He tried to mask it with a smile.

“Jug, I’m kidding.” She smiled again. That second-sun million-dollar beam of light. It soothed him, as he noticed it was doing more and more the longer they spent together.

He grinned cheekily. “You know, you’re probably right.”

“I am?” She arched a brow.

“Yeah.”

“How so?”

“Midge and I dated for two weeks. When we were thirteen.”

Betty gasped indignantly, before bursting into endless giggles while splashing him in the face over and over until he screamed “OK! OK! I give up! You win!”

She swam over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, slanting her wet mouth sloppily over his. Her soft mouth and the hot sun had him feeling completely light-headed.

When they got back to the shore, they lay flat on the towels they’d brought to dry off under the heat of the sun. 

“Hey, Jug? There’s no one around, right?”

He scanned the area around them. They lay on a flat, wide rock, with trees and shrubbery surrounding them. On the other side of the river the bank was tall had no area accessible to people. They seemed completely isolated. He nodded.

Turning her head to face him, she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. The cups slid off her chest and the straps dropped from her shoulders, as she leaned forward to pull down her yellow cotton panties. Then she lay on her back, closed her eyes, and faced the sun again, not a piece of clothing on her body.

Jughead’s breathing became heavy as he watched her. 

“You can take yours off too.” She said, eyes still closed, with a smirk.

As he slid his boxers down his legs, she opened one eye and looked over at him. His dick popped out from his underwear, thick and erect, veins visible under the skin that tightly wrapped it. 

She opened both eyes and gripped her bottom lip between her teeth. He almost couldn’t believe it. They had fucked twice that morning in the trailer, and they had got each other off with their hands when they were swimming. Yet here she was, stripping naked and hungry before him, wanting more of him. She turned onto her side and brought a hand up to palm her own breast, staring from his eyes, down to his cock, where her gaze lingered before dragging back up again. She did things to him that he hadn’t thought possible.

He started to palm himself slowly, staring deep into her wide eyes while he clutched his dick tightly, pulling his hand up and down in an even rhythm.

She watched him masturbate as her gaze became more intense, rolling onto her back and spreading her legs in front of her. Knees up and wide apart, open to the world. The sun shone down onto her glistening folds, as she slipped a finger inside of herself. He watched her face as she reacted to the work of her own fingers, eyes widening and brow creasing as her wrist bobbed up and down between her legs.

“Fuck, Betty.” Jughead muttered, clutching his dick a little harder.

Betty smiled a lazy smile, fingering herself gently. “You wanna put that inside me anytime soon?” 

At her words, Jughead scooted closer to her and hovered over her, bracing himself with his elbows on either side of her head as his body rested between her legs.

She took hold of his cock and slid it inside herself, moaning as he slid into her, stretching and filling her. She bucked her hips up towards him, needy, as she whined the words he’d been asking himself since they’d first spoken those weeks ago. “Why is this all I can ever think about anymore?”   
He slammed into her rapidly, feeling the hug of her wet walls around his achingly hard dick like an itch he would forever need to scratch. Both begging for relief. Both hyper-responsive to each other’s bodies. Her mouth was wide open and slack, her tits bouncing each time he bottomed out inside her, as her rips rose wantonly attempting to match his every thrust. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him tighter against her, relishing the friction against her pebbled clit as their bodies continued to meet in crashing waves.

“Jughead, I’m so… _fuck…_ sensitive.” she panted. 

He grinned. He knew she wouldn’t take long. She never did.

“That’s ok baby. You’ve had a lot today.” He placed a wet kiss on her mouth, slowing his movements down, trying to draw it out.

“Jug- Juggie!” she whined as she bucked her hips up desperately, trying to regain some speed. “I’m gonna come. I’m gonna come _right now_.” She let out a long, low groan as he felt her walls ripple around his cock. “I’m coming!” She whimpered as waves upon waves of arousal leaked out of her pussy and around his dick, dripping onto the towel below them, staining it.

Her eyes were closed, eyelashes resting on bright pink cheeks, which Jughead reached down to brush his thumbs over as he slowed inside her. Her eyes opened and she smiled, dreamlike, unclasping her legs around his body. “Don’t stop.” She panted. “More.”

With his assistance, she rose both of her knees to rest over his shoulders, as he continued sliding in and out of her deeply. “Ah!!! Fuck!!!” She yelled. At this angle, the thrust was so deep and tight she could feel it in her stomach, her chest, her head.

“Holy shit, Betty” He groaned as he continued to thrust, a mile a minute, into her folded form.

As long as his dick was moving inside her, she couldn’t stop moaning. She couldn’t reach up and touch him from this angle, so her hands bunched in her own hair, pulling at it, craving more relief from the immense coil of pleasurable tension building inside of her.

“That’s it, baby girl,” Jughead coaxed as he dropped a hand to pinch and twist her nipples, causing her to yell below him again.

Jughead could feel his release coming. At 2pm, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to come a fourth time that day, but with her body writhing and whining as she enveloped his dick in her slick and shiny folds, he was about to blow.

“Give it to me.” She moaned. “Give me everything you’ve got.”

“Betty. Shit. Holy… Fuck.” He rambled incoherently. His erratic thrusts thumped her pussy, as he exploded into her without warning.

She could feel him filling her with his seed, thick and fast. And she couldn’t hold back the guttural groan that vibrated through her whole body at the intensity of her need to feel it.

They were screaming as they came, paying no need to the semi-public setting, or to who might be passing by. 

Paying no attention to what the consequences might be.

 

X

 

Cheryl Blossom had never been the type to keep a low profile. In fact, there was nothing she loathed more. In the time since high school had finished, she had begun to miss the inevitable buzz of drama that echoed against the hallowed corridors. 

She was no stranger to making her own fun. Picking up strangers in the local bar that were passing through Riverdale for business and going back with them to their mediocre hotels and ShareBnB’s. Counting down the days until she could move into her new dorm at Harvard, making plans for how she would decorate it, the classes she would take, and what she would wear. But all of these were ultimately solitary activities. The sex was shallow; schematic and unfeeling. And as much as she looked forward to her future in academia, all of the planning had started to become unfulfilling and insufficient. 

So as she strolled, book in one hand, iced coffee in another, along the edge of the river, and heard in the distance a young couple having sex on the bank of the other side, she needed the details. She didn’t want to creep, per se, but she moved closer to the river’s edge to catch a glimpse of whoever could possibly be that shameless.

They were young, that she could tell, and though her basic human instinct prevented her from staring for too long, she was almost certain it was a blonde haired girl and a brown haired man.

And that is how she decided, one afternoon in late July, to have a party.

Penelope and Clifford were tyrants, no doubt, but their general negligence as parents gave Cheryl all the more freedom to wreak havoc as she pleased. They went out often, leaving her to fend alone. Since Jason had moved in with Polly, that left Cheryl as the sole custodian of Thornhill House until the older Blossoms returned.

It occurred to her that the turnout would be underwhelming, with most of her graduating class gone. A stark contrast to the last party she’d held after graduation, where the rooms bulged with teens and the home reeked of alcohol and tobacco for days. But an intimate gathering would do on this occasion. Archie would surely come, Betty too, as well as a few of the River Vixens and Bulldogs that were left. Combined with the right ingredients, it would surely suffice for a healthy dose of theatrics.

Cheryl tapped on the screen of her flat, shiny, cellphone until she was satisfied with what she’d created. With a pouting smile, she tapped “Post”.

 

X

 

Toni was smart. Not smart, like, getting A's in every class. Or smart, like, adding up a bunch of numbers in your head. But she was savvy, and she could smell a rat. So while Fangs and Sweet Pea commented that Jug sure seemed to be doing a lot of writing these days, she was noticing things.

She noticed how over the past 3 weeks, Jughead was never around in the evenings, specifically, and on the weekends. She noticed how he would never really talk about what it is he claimed to be writing. And she noticed a shift in his attitude. The aggression usually bubbling at the surface seemed to have dissipated a little. She would almost call him… calm. Almost.

She noticed how Betty seemed to be leaving the register offices earlier than usual. And how she was dressing differently. Wearing more make-up. Toni had never been a fan of Betty’s exactly, but she couldn’t deny the girl was beautiful. More than beautiful, she was sexy. And maybe it was this attraction that started her suspicions, but once they were there, she couldn’t shake them. She couldn’t help noticing that whenever Jughead stayed home, Betty wasn’t at work. And when Betty walked home, she took a different route. It made Toni feel like she was seeing things. She didn’t like the feeling. She liked to be in control.

The moment she’d been waiting for arose when she was scrolling aimlessly through her phone one afternoon. 

_Excited for my #InnerCircle intimate gathering on Friday. Unbidden guests will be publicly shamed._

There was nobody in Riverdale who wasn’t familiar with the eerily opulent Thornhill, and who hadn’t heard of the parties that graced it. To Toni, the warning was even more of an invitation. Plus, it would be the perfect opportunity to have everyone together to set the record straight.

Jughead was screwing Betty Cooper. And she was gonna blow it all up.

 

X

 

After that day at the river, Betty would take off her panties in the bathroom before leaving work.

She would almost skip her way to his trailer, knocking at the door with a sweet smile, which Jughead returned with hungry eyes. He would pull her in by the arm and within five minutes he would be inside her, fully clothed, skirt-up pants-down style. They couldn’t wait. On the kitchen counter, bent over the side of the couch, sometimes pushed up against the front door. It didn’t matter. He plunged into her, hard and wild until they came together, him with a grunt, her with a scream.

Only after that would they head to the bedroom, where they would take their time. Jughead liked to undress her slowly, exploring her skin with his lips. Betty loved the feeling of him taking her clothes off, especially while remnants of their arousal leaked down her inner thighs. Evidence of their passion. Had anyone before them felt ardor like this? If so, Betty had yet to hear about it.

Sometimes, as he lay her body down in his bed, pulling off her garments, he would dip two fingers inside her to collect their mixed juices, and then bring it up to her mouth, feeding her. When he did this, she sucked and nibbled at his fingers excitedly, giggling as she begged for him to fuck her again. It was a feeling of total surrender, unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.

But the intensity of their attraction didn’t make up for the other holes emerging in their delicate set-up.

Betty was trying, forcing herself not to confuse attraction with emotion. She reminded herself of their diverging paths and the temporality of their arrangement. She reminded herself that she was probably a distraction for him; a novelty situation he would soon grow sick of. And though she told herself to expect it, the result of this awareness was less than ideal.

She had no idea what he planned to do after the Summer was out. Hell, she had no idea what his plans were on any given day. A part of her just wanted to feel like this new bond connected them somehow. Even if it was just sex. Even if it was just for now. She wanted it to be significant.

But since the first time she’d come over, he hadn’t asked her to stay over. And anytime she tried to bring up his plans for after the Summer, he’d mumble something about staying near home and change the subject. And, embarrassed as she was to admit, she was pissed too. Didn’t he care what her plans were? 

But she pushed those thoughts aside. He would tell her if he wanted to - ask her if he was interested. She reminded herself to be grateful for what she had with him. Because, fuck, was it unlike anything she’d ever dreamed of.

“How many times do you think we’ve fucked?” Betty asked on Thursday evening, as they lay in bed on their backs, naked and glistening, in the heat of the low sun.

“Since when do you say things like fucked?”

“It’s been every day, right? Since we started?” She smirked, tauntingly.

Jughead laughed. “I guess. Pretty much.”

“Sometimes even…” She started to blush. “More than once a day?”

“What are you trying to get at, Betty Cooper?” He smirked, slapping her ass playfully.

“I’m just sayin’” She responded, “Aren’t people supposed to get tired of this?”

“You can get tired of anything eventually.”

“But it’s so much fun!”

He leaned over to grab her by the waist and pull her in to leave open-mouthed kisses on her neck.

“Maybe” he mumbled between kisses “you’ve got a really, really good partner.”

She swatted him off again, gently. “OK, Mr. Experienced over here. What’s the most sex you’ve ever had in a day?”

“What, like, how many times?”

“Yeah.”

“Um, I dunno.”

She grinned, brushing her nose against his. “It was with me, wasn’t it?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

She giggled. “It totally was. You know they say practice makes perfect.”

His face began to crack into the beginnings of a smirk. “You ready for round three?”

Her eyes flitted downwards, quickly. He noticed. “I was thinking more long-term. They say great things take time, you know?”

His body stiffened a little. “Yeah, I guess they do.”

“Like…” Her tone changed. The mood shifted. “Do you think we’ll keep doing this next week? The week after?”

He looked distinctly uncomfortable.

“Jug?”

“Uh. I don’t know. Let’s just, see how it goes.”

Betty reached down to pull the sheets over her bare body. “See… how it goes?”

“Yeah, I mean, we’re just having fun, right?”

“Of course, yeah. But sometimes it seems like...” Betty twisted the sheets around her chest a little more.

“It seems like what, Betty?” He said, tilting his head to look into her eyes.

She bit her lip and stared back.

“Sometimes I feel like… I’m gonna wake up one morning and you’ll have disappeared. Just like that. And I’ll never see you again.”

“Betty… We both live in Riverdale. It’s not that big.”

“You know what I mean, Jug. You won’t make plans with me more than a day in advance. You won’t tell me anything about your life. I mean, are you even here?”

“Of course I’m –“

“No, but are you _here._ Are you with me? Or are you someplace else?”

Jughead looked straight ahead and sighed, head dropping an imperceptible amount.

“Betty… You and me. We need to remember what this is.”

“I’m not asking you to get married, Jug. I’m just asking for you to talk to me like a friend. Like we used to be.”

“But we’re not friends, Betty.”

His words bit her like a rabid dog, stinging at first then taking hold and seeping through her veins.

She took a deep breath, and spoke slowly, gripping the sheet tightly in her small fists. “I’m going to leave now.”

His head dropped a little lower. She picked up her things quietly from around his room. Afraid to make a noise, feeling like every sound she made would betray the hurt she felt.

When she had gathered everything, she moved to the door of his room, looking back towards him once more.

He was staring at her. She didn’t know what she expected, but she certainly didn’t expect what she saw. Looking into his eyes, she struggled to feel anger. For in his, she just saw shame.

 

X

 

Betty slammed the door behind her as she entered her house, bag slung limply over her shoulder.

“Betty!” Alice’s voice chirped from the living room, where Betty reluctantly walked to greet her, only to find Archie beside her on the couch.

“Arch, what are you doing here?” Betty commented. It barely sounded like a question.

“Good to see you too, Betty.”

“I let him in! He came to see you.” Alice grinned suggestively.

“Mom …”

“I’ll leave you two young things in peace!” Alice said before picking up her glass of sauvignon blanc and walking upstairs.

Betty sat down beside Archie, leaning against the armrest of the couch. 

“I’m sorry she’s so… weird.” Betty sighed.

They exchanged a glance that quickly turned into a silent laugh passing between them.

“How are you doing?” He said, leaning into the couch, resting his arm across the back.

“Honestly? Kinda crappy. You?”  
He laughed. “Same. God, I can’t wait to get the hell out of here.”

Her eyes lit up the faintest shade. “I know, right. Man, college is so necessary.”

“What’s going on with you?” He nudged her shoulder with the arm hanging behind her on the couch. “What’s got you all sad looking?”

“Ever the subtle one, Archie.” She smiled. “Honestly, I just had this weird… Argument, I guess.”

“With who? Do I know them?”

“No!” She said, a little too loudly. “I mean, I don’t think so. It was a Serpent.”

“I’m sorry, Betty.” His hand dropped to rest on her shoulder. “You know you can tell me if anyone’s bothering you, right?”

She smiled. “Thanks. You’re like a big little brother, looking out for me.”

He scoffed. “Why little?”

“Because you are six weeks my junior, my friend!”

“And you’ll never let me forget it.”

She was happy he was there. It didn’t do much to assuage the emotional discomfort she’d been feeling, but it was nice to be reminded of the people that wanted to be in her life. The people that wanted her in theirs.

“Hey, you know where we can go where you definitely won’t run into any Serpents?”

“Where?”

“Cheryl’s party tomorrow night.”

Betty crumpled up her nose. “Seriously? You wanna go, voluntarily, to Thornhill?”

“Come on, it’ll be funny. We can eat all those mini cheesecakes Cheryl always puts out that no one else touches. Maybe even…” he began to tickle her as he whispered “get a little drunk?”

She squealed in protest as she giggled. “Ok! Ok, fine!” He removed his hands from her ribs.

“Fine. What the heck. Let’s go.”

 

x

 

The next morning, Jughead trudged all the way to Sweetwater River to find Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea. He hadn’t been around as much, so they’d stopped knocking for him. But when he arrived, they weren’t surprised, either. Quickly, they fell back into their routine of Fangs and Sweet Pea asking each other nonsensical questions, Toni debunking their false information, and Jughead beside them, reading in the shade.

“What are we doing tonight?” Jughead announced from behind his paperback to the group.

“Why do you care? Are you even gonna come?” Toni shot him a look.

He nodded back. “Whatever it is you wanna do, I’m in.”

“How about we go down to the quarry and record ourselves singing Nickleback songs? The echo you hear back is awesome. I wanna start a YouTube channel where I do that with all the greatest bands’ songs. I think I could make a career out of it.” Sweet Pea spoke animatedly, nodding his head.

“You think Nickleback is one of the greatest bands of all time? God, you really are a meathead.” Fangs jibed.

“I have a better idea.” Toni spoke.

They turned to look at her.

“Cheryl Blossom is having a party. And if you ask me, those Northsiders she invited could use a hand understanding the concept of fun.”

“No. Veto.” Jughead stated plainly.

“I thought you said that whatever we wanna do, you’re in. Jesus, Jug, are you even a Serpent anymore? You’re barely entitled to a vote, forget veto power.”

“A party?” Sweet Pea lilted, and even Fangs looked enthusiastic.

“Free booze, sweet crib.” Fangs said, and the two boys high fived.

“What do you say, Jug?” 

He clenched his teeth. “Sure. Sounds absolutely delightful.”


	7. VII: Dropping Eaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long! I have been crazy busy with work and personal projects. Thank you for your wonderful comments and critiques, I am so lucky to have you guys as readers!

When Cheryl Blossom had a party, she went all out.

Not just on her outfit, her hair and her make up. On all the necessary accoutrements to take the event from standard to sublime. The finest liquors were purchased to put her evening classes in mixology to good use. The valuables, rather than hidden, were put on display. To remind the residents of Riverdale why Thornhill, and by proxy, the Blossoms, reigned supreme. And the highest quality DJ decks were taken out from storage so Reggie could earn his invitation to the party through spinning tunes for the evening. Because that’s what the most important part of a party was, of course. The list of invitees.

She was excited for the hodge-podge mix of characters that would grace her doors in these socially starved times. And she had some games planned, should the pot need stirring.

All with one end goal in mind. To loosen the lips of the timid teenage populace enough to spice up her life for one night. To provide solace from solitude, even if it was at the expense of their pride and dignity. They would get over it. If anything, she considered, she was doing them all a favor, exposing their innermost desires. 

And a part of her believed that. That she was just cutting out the bullshit and getting straight to the realness in people. Part of her. The other part drank up. She had a party to throw.

 

x

 

“This is so dumb, why are we doing this again? Instead of going to the Wyrm or literally anywhere else?” Jughead mumbled, half-coherently, half to himself.

“The Wyrm won’t serve us.” Fangs interjected, from the front seat of the car. “I don’t want another night of playing pool while we watch our parents get wasted. Cheryl Blossom, on the other hand… I’ve heard she’s quite the hostess.” 

“Everyone here hates us.” Jughead added.

“And…?” Toni said, nudging him in the arm.

“And the feeling is mutual. I wish we never had to see them again.”

“Well, lucky for you, in about a month’s time, they’ll all be in college and you’ll never have to.” Toni stated.

“Exactly. And until then,” Sweet Pea grinned, “Let’s milk them for all they’re worth!”

Fangs sniggered and pulled into the expansive, tree-lined driveway that inclined slightly leading up to the hauntingly monstrous Blossom home.

“Alright, assholes, now everybody get the hell outta my car.”

Jughead unbuckled his belt and dragged his lead-heavy feet up the hill towards the house.

Sweet Pea banged his fist on the front door about fifty percent more aggressively than necessary, and Jughead kept to the back of the group. It only took a few seconds before Cheryl was at the door, opening it for them dramatically and appearing arm-first, displaying a red silken kimono. Jughead rolled his eyes.

“Well if it isn’t the Odious Ophidians." She quipped. "If only I could say I was surprised to see you at my doorstep.”

“Cheryl.” Toni nodded. “You gonna turn us away? Just when we were about to get this party started?”

Cheryl sighed. “Lucky for you, I’m in the mood for a little chaos. I’m feeling uncharacteristically turbulent today.” 

Jughead let out a less-than-subtle cough of incredulity at her last words.

“Watch it, Thughead, or I’ll shun you, and you alone.”

“Watch me care, Cheryl.” He said, flatly.

Shooting him daggers, she moved aside to let them file in, before closing the door behind them.

Upon stepping inside, the four leather-clad teens struggled to hide their amazement as they took in the opulent mansion.

“Boys, beers are in the fridge. Toni, care for a cocktail? My specialty is the Mind Eraser.”

Fangs and Sweet Pea made a beeline for the refrigerator while Jughead’s eyes landed on two recognizable heads, sitting close to each other on the couch. Betty and Archie. They appeared to be inspecting something on Betty’s cell phone, leaned forward, shoulders touching.

Jughead let out a short breath and announced “I’m going for a cigarette” before pushing past Cheryl in search of the garden.

 

x

 

“Well that’s somethin’, Betts. You think it’s worth looking into?” Archie said, distancing himself from the cell screen and looking back at Betty.

“I don’t know… My mom is so certain there’s something going on with the Lodges and the Serpents, but she won’t tell me why. So these files are all I have to go by. And honestly, Arch, I’m not sure there’s enough here for a story.”

“Well,” Archie shrugged, “You can always ask them yourself.”

“What do you mean?” 

Archie gestured in the direction of the kitchen with his chin. She looked over to see Fangs and Sweet Pea hovering over a six pack.

“They’re here? Jesus, Archie, I thought they wouldn’t be coming!”

“Woah, Betty. How was I supposed to know? What’s the big deal, anyway? We can just keep to ourselves.”

Betty huffed and stood up, without looking back at Archie, moving towards the boys. She stomped across the room, consciously avoiding balling her fists in spite of desperately wanting to. 

“Did you guys come here alone?” She announced, startling them, as Sweet Pea almost choked on his gulp of beer.

“Hey, Elizabeth. Nice to see you too.” Fangs smirked, eyes lingering on her.

“We came here with Toni and Jug. What’s it to you?” Sweet Pea said, attempting to regain his composure. Fangs then elbowed him, as though reprimanding Sweet Pea for disclosing any information to her.

“Never mind.” She mumbled and walked past them through the kitchen, entering the front hall of the building.

From where she stood she could hear Toni’s voice echoing out of a nearby room. The door was ajar. Betty approached it, silently. If Toni was there, Jughead couldn’t be far. And she didn’t know what she was going to say, but she had to speak to him. 

Knowing he was there, in the same house as her, at that very moment, turned some kind of engine on inside of her that was impossible to ignore. No matter how painful. No matter how awkward. If he was there, she needed to see him.

As she stood in the hall, psychologically wrestling with her muddled thoughts, she began to hear the voices more clearly.

_“… getting back together. I know it…”_ She heard, in what sounded like Toni’s voice. Her face felt enveloped in flames. She tip-toed closer to the room until she could make out the voices clearly. 

But instead of Toni and Jughead, the second voice belonged to Cheryl.

_“Whence comes this sanguine perspective, Topaz?”_

_“Let’s just say, with the way we’ve been all day, you could as good as call me Serpent Princess this day next week.”_

Betty took in a sharp breath before pacing away from the door and up the stairs, heart racing, eyes stinging.

She was angry. And she was scared. She couldn’t handle this level of emotional inertia and uncertainty. She had never felt so… unmoored. God, since when did she give a shit about any of these people and their petty drama? Once again, she repressed the urge to clench her fists. She hadn’t wounded herself with her nails in years and hadn’t even had the desire to either. But all of the confusion was too much to take.

She reached the top of the stairs and, seeking refuge and a place to put herself back together, entered the nearest bedroom.

But there, alone on the bed, sat Jughead.

 

x

 

Cheryl had brought Toni across the house to her father's study to collect the necessary ingredients - vodka and coffee liqueur. But before getting her hands on what she needed, she saw the moment as an opportunity to search for something more elusive. Something more powerful than even vodka. Knowledge.

“So… I’m guessing you missed what I just saw?” Cheryl said, propping her arms up onto the chair beside her, and interlocking her fingers.

“What, Cheryl?” Toni sighed in response.

“Your brooding faux-beau making a swift exit at the sight of his Betty cosying up to a Bulldog. Archie, no less. Didn’t they used to be friends? That’s gotta hurt.”

“You are literally full of it. Just give me the drink and let me get back to my friends.”

“That’s no way to speak to your generous host, Miz Topaz. I’m simply trying to engage you in, what do your kind call it, small talk?”

“You think Betty and Jug are a thing. I get it. But whatever might have been there, and I'm not even saying there was, is over now. As I said, give it a few days and he’ll come running back to me.”

“My instincts disagree. And they are rarely wrong.”

“Why do you even care?”

“Why does anyone care about anything?" Cheryl threw her hands in the air dramatically, "It’s all just part of the rich tapestry of the human experience.”

Toni shook her head and walked past Cheryl to the liquor cabinet, where she reached her arm in for the necessary bottles.

“This is what we came here for, right?”

Cheryl smiled. “Correct.”

Toni couldn’t help but smile back. “Alright. Now let’s make some damn juice.”

 

x

 

He looked lost in his own head, chin down, hands on his knees. There was no light, bar that from the moon which modestly displayed soft contours of furniture and segments of the walls. 

Betty thought she should announce her presence somehow, gently alert him to the fact that she had entered the room. But instead, words pushed their way out of her mouth. Forceful, and aggressive.

“So, have you hooked up with Toni yet?”

Jughead snapped his head up, eyes blown wide and alarmed, before calming upon recognizing her silhouette. 

“What? No. Why would you ask that?”

“I overheard them talking. Toni and Cheryl. Something about you two being… growing.. closer again?”

“Oh.”

“Is it true?”

“Well, we’ve been hanging out the last couple days, sure. But there’s nothing going on between us.”

Betty let out a quiet, shaky breath.

“Come,” Jughead said, gently. “Sit.”

She made her way to the side of the bed he sat on and lowered herself down beside him. The bed dipped, pushing them closer together.

Jughead took his right hand from his knee, and slid it over slightly so it was touching hers.

“I really didn’t wanna see you tonight.” He said, under his breath.

She wrapped her arms around herself, nervously, face growing paler. Before he continued.

“I was embarrassed. At the things that I said.”

She exhaled slowly, rubbing her arms. “Oh! No, it’s fine. These things happen.”

“I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

She smiled, and very gently edged even closer to him, as much as that was possible.

“I’m sorry too. About our conversation the other day… I put you on the spot, and that wasn’t fair. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

He barely looked up from the patch of floor upon which his gaze was fixated.

“Hey… Juggie?”

“Yeah?” He murmured, so quietly.

“I really like being around you.”

He raised his head and turned it to face her, hair still hanging over his eyes through his beanie.

“I think you’re a really good person. And… you’re insanely smart.” She continued. “When I’m with you, I feel relaxed. But also kinda nervous. Does that make sense?”

His face cracked into the slightest smile.

“It does.” 

He brushed a finger against her leg. “Me too.”

She could barely hear the thud of the party downstairs over the sound of her heart and her blood and her breathing. She leaned a little closer to brush his hair out of his eyes, and his beanie slid off.

“Sorry, let me just-“

“It’s OK. Leave the hat.” 

He was staring at her now. His eyes were open and fearless, but vulnerable, like a newborn puppy’s.

Their faces grew closer, until they were less than an inch apart. 

Betty could feel the tickle of his lips almost brushing hers.

Letting out a long breath, she closed her eyes and leaned into his mouth, catching his lips in hers, like instinct. Kissing him was the only thing she was sure felt right.

“Thank you, Betty.” He breathed after the kiss.

His kisses were soft and slow, a dance, hungry and anxious. They made her hands tremble.

“Fuck, I want you so much Betty.” He said, playing with the hem of her shirt.

“You have me.” She said, leaning back on her arms, looking up at him with lust-filled eyes. “Just… take me.”

He leaned down on top of her, placing most of his weight on his right arm while his left laid her down on the bed, kissing and nipping at her neck as he unbuttoned his jeans.

She pushed her underwear to the side and pulled her skirt up hurriedly.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Jughead breathed.

She swiped two fingers against the apex of her thighs and lifted them in front of his face. They were glistening wet. She pulled him towards her by the neck and he leaned forward to take the fingers in his mouth.

“Please.” She said, thrusting her hips desperately. “Right now. Please.”

Spurred on by her neediness, he nodded.

“OK.” He said, and took his bulging member into his hands.

Directing himself to her entrance, he slid his cock slowly into her soft pussy. She bucked, almost sliding herself down the bed to get more of him inside of her faster.

“Ohmygod-“ She whimpered, spreading her arms out on either side of herself and gripping the sheets by her side.

“Sorry!” He stopped moving. “Are we going too fast?”

She shook her head violently. 

“No.” She gasped. “You just… stretch me so much. It just feels so good. Sometimes I can’t even…” 

She closed her eyes and let her head fall back in the mattress as his hips dove deep into hers.

He took her jaw in his hands, directing her chin to look up at him as her hips rose up and down, trying to match the deep and long rolls of his pelvis. He pressed the other hand against her lower back, helping her thrust against him, pulling them so close that every time they moved against each other her clit was rubbed back and forth, sweat and arousal mixing below them. 

He was staring at her, so intensely it felt like there was a magnetic field pulling their eyes together and they couldn’t look away. She couldn’t. She wanted to close her eyes and thrash her head around but instead she could only stare at him, panting and whimpering, as he planted himself inside her sensitive core and out again, sometimes pulling all the way out just to watch her mouth fall slack and let out a quiet cry of protest before diving back in, deep as can be, dick soaked with her juices.

She tried to focus on the act alone, on the carnal satisfaction of the way he felt her, touched her, ploughed her in just the right way. But as she felt the familiar coil tighten in her stomach, and stared at the small crease between his brows, she couldn’t suppress a more powerful desire that was bubbling inside of her. Her entire body wanted to shake, rattle and scream out that he was hers. That he was hers and hers alone.

 

x

 

“See? I told you they were fucking.”

Cheryl stood leaning against the wall outside the guest bedroom, Toni standing across from her.

“Just because the door is closed-“

“Listen!”

Toni sighed, and crossed her arms. Sure enough, when she managed to tune out the sound of the party, she could hear it. The unmistakable creaking of a bed, punctuated with what could only be described as sex noises.

Cheryl smirked and raised an eyebrow at Toni, who covered her mouth with one hand.

“Shit. They’re… loud.” Toni commented, voice hushed.

“You have no idea.” Cheryl said.

“What do you mean?”

“Last week, by Sweetwater River, I actually saw them doing it.”

“You what?”

“Well, I wasn’t certain of their identities at the time, but-“

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound coming from the room. It was a faint, repeated whining sound.

“Is that…?” Toni furrowed her brows. The sound grew loud enough for them to hear the words, clearly as broken words could be, through the closed door.

_“J- shit… I… Ohmygod! Jug- Fuck... Juggie.”_

“We need to go somewhere else we shouldn’t be hearing this.” Toni pulled a giggling Cheryl by the arm.

They entered a nearby bathroom, and Toni closed the door behind them. 

“OK, Cheryl. You’ve made your point. She gets everything, and I get nothing. Is that what you wanted?”

“No.” Cheryl said, softly.

“Are you sure? Cos you’ve gone pretty far out of your way to prove it to me. To make sure it’s all I can think about!”

“No!” Cheryl exclaimed, startling Toni. “That is not what I wanted. I wanted to show you that you shouldn’t waste your time and energy on him!”

“Why?”

“Because. Because… I have something else for you to think about.”

Cheryl leaned forward and captured Toni’s lips in a light, tentative peck, before pulling away quickly. Her eyes were wide, and she placed her hand softly over her mouth, before nervously looking back at Toni.

As their eyes connected once more, Toni leaned in and clutched Cheryl's face. 

She pulled their mouths together for a deep kiss.

 

x

 

Betty and Jughead lay huddled against each other on the bed, half clothed and restful, Betty’s head on his chest as they came down from their mutual high.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you something.” Betty whispered into his shoulder, nuzzling him softly.

“What is it?”

“The other day, in your room, when we were… um, arguing I guess. You said we weren’t friends.”

He closed his eyes before she continued.

“But, before, when all of this started between us. You told me you never stopped being my friend. And I know you said it in the heat of the moment the other day, but part of me felt like it sounded so real.”

Jughead sighed and slid himself backwards on the bed and propped himself up into a seated position.

“I didn’t mean to be hurtful, Betty. I mean, I did, at the time probably. But I was just unprepared. To talk about everything that’s been going through my head. I’m still not sure I entirely understand it myself.”

“You can talk about it with me, Jug. I know things are kinda complicated at the moment but we’ve known each other since we were babies. Maybe I can, I don’t know… help you talk it out?”

Jughead rubbed his forehead and sighed, while Betty sat up and crossed her legs beside him.

“Before you came into my life a few weeks ago I was finally at a point that I’d accepted my situation. I had grown satisfied with the idea of my future in the trailer, writing for my own entertainment and nothing more, seeing only the same people I’ve known since middle school. Being a... Serpent. I was finally OK with that. For the first time in my life I was ready to embrace it.”

“And that’s fine, Jug. I mean, that’s fine with me. I don’t judge your lifestyle, or your choices. I have no right-“

“No, I know. But now you’re here and you wanna talk about stuff I haven’t thought about in years. And it fucking excites me. These three weeks with you have been exciting. Do you know how scary it is to let myself feel that when I know in a couple of weeks, maybe days, it’s gonna go away again?”

“Of course it’s exciting. I’m excited too. Why does that have to end?” 

Betty grabbed his forearm in her small hand and was squeezing it tightly, as if afraid he would evaporate.

“I only get to feel this until you get bored of me, or start to feel uncomfortable spending so much time with someone you feel sorry for. So, I’m sorry if it seems like I’m holding back. But it’s like there’s a tug of war going on inside me wondering if maybe we should just cut our losses now. Because what’s even the point?”

Betty was shaking her head, eyes welling up.

“It’s scary for me too, Jug.”

“I know. And that makes me feel even worse. It’s your first… I’m your first…” He let his head drop into his hands.

“And I’m so fucking sorry that this couldn’t be exactly what you wanted from the beginning. But you get to leave when this is over. You get to leave and start your life. I will never get that.”

“Jughead… I’m so sorry.”

She placed an arm over his shoulders and rubbed his shoulders lightly.

“It’s not fair the way things are. And I can’t do anything to change them. But I can say I will never get bored of you. Or feel sorry for you. I meant what I said earlier. About how smart you are, and amazing, and beautiful. Being around you is like… I don’t even know. Because I’ve never felt like this about anything before.”

He had raised his head to look at her. His eyes, that earlier looked empty, were warming up, the crease in his brow more apparent than ever. Her heart broke a little, at how often in his life that crease was there. He was so young, but had been forced to feel so much.

“God, Jug. If you even knew how often I think about you. And it’s not just the sex. Even though, obviously, that’s… incredible. It’s everything about being around you. And I know I have to leave for college in a few weeks. And it’s gonna be hard. But it will be hard for both of us. You are not alone in this.”

“So… what does that make us?” Jughead whispered, brushing his thumb along her chin.

“I guess that makes us pretty damn screwed.” She giggled, eyes glassy.

“Once we can be screwed together.”

“Are we still a secret?”

“For now, Betty, if that’s OK with you. And I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I understand”

He pulled her closer, for a soft and warm kiss.

"I understand." She whispered again, against his mouth.


	8. VIII: Delirium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, it's been a long time. I guess I felt inspired again! I hope some of you are still interested in reading my story :) And it's far from over. This is a very sexy chapter before the ~ drama ~ hits. Love, Bub x

A week had passed since the party and very little had changed, but an urgency had started to build up inside Betty. It was now two weeks until she would leave for Columbia and she hadn’t prepared a thing. She hadn’t started the recommended reading, or even thought through her travel plans. What’s more, she wasn’t even worried. And neither, apparently, was Alice.

She hadn’t realized just how reliant on him she had become. 

With the thought of their impending separation in mind, being away from him – even for a few short hours at the register - felt like someone was tearing at her from the inside, leaving her dazed and afraid. A small part of her tried to remind her to remain rational, to focus on something in life other than this one guy. She ignored it. 

Never before had she felt so one-track-minded. Never before had she cared so little about what anyone thought, or said, or how well she was writing or if she was ready for college. She only thought about when she would see him next, like a skipping record, her mind aggressively dragged her back to him always. His ability to be gentle and rough at the same time, both sexually and otherwise. The way his face contorted when he came.

And it was almost obscene how much they fucked. Hot, sweaty flesh pressed against flesh for hours on end as they rubbed, licked and penetrated each other every which way around the small trailer. When she knew he was about to come she wanted to cry, tears of passion and intensity filling her eyes as the rubbing inside her pussy grew harder and faster, shooting beams of coarse pleasure to every inch of her shaking body. It was like art, she thought. They were two participants in the most beautiful performance of all time. The art of sybaritism. Devoting themselves to pleasuring each other. Finding satisfaction inside of each other. Something of which neither realized the full implications.

They were always hungry for each other. 

Famished, one could say. 

And hunger is a powerful feeling. It has the ability to make one lose perspective and become weak.

 

x

 

On the Thursday of that week, in the morning when Betty was at work, Jughead decided to distract himself with some manual labor. Fangs, Sweet Pea and Toni had started building a cabin in Fox Forest some days ago that they would eventually be able to use as somewhere to hang out: a place they could call their own.

Jughead wasn’t one go out of his way to exercise, but he enjoyed the meditative repetition of chopping wood and using a hammer. It was a bright, pleasant morning, and he wanted to enjoy it. Hopeful that the day would distract him from thoughts of Betty and her imminent departure, he worked enthusiastically.

“So what’s up these days, Jug?” Sweet Pea nudged him with his elbow as they took a brief water break.

“Not much. Same as always.” Jughead answered.

“You know you always got us, Jug, right? Whatever the shitstorm. We're family.”

“Sure, Sweet Pea.”

“So, you'd tell us if something was going on with you?”

“Geez, Sweets, what’s with the third degree?”

“Yeah, give him a break.” Fangs chimed in, “It’s a weird time for all of us.”

At those words, Sweet Pea stared quickly at Fangs with eyes full of indignation.

“What?” Jughead probed.

“Nothing” Sweet Pea responded.

“Yeah nothing.” Added Fangs.

Toni, who had been painting the opposite side of the cabin turned a corner to join the group. “Alright, freaks, here’s the tea.” She stood between them all, eyeballing each of them independently, “Jughead’s screwing Betty Cooper, I’m screwing Cheryl Blossom, and y’all can get the hell over it yesterday, please.”

Silence followed.

“What the fuck are you talking about Toni?” Jughead uttered through gritted teeth.

“Oh please. The jig is up.” She cackled.

Sweet Pea and Fangs looked at each other incredulously while Jughead took in a deep breath.

“I just-“ Jughead began.

“It’s cool.” Sweet Pea interrupted

“What?” Jughead said.

“I said, it’s cool. Isn’t that right Fangs?”

“Yep.” Fangs nodded.

The two were acting uncharacteristically stoic. Jughead narrowed his eyes, and opened his mouth to speak.

Toni jumped in first, “Have you two bozos been bodysnatched?”

Sweet Pea widened his eyes, “Alright, no need to get personal. We’re just… happy for you. Things have been awkward for a while now, and I personally am just glad to know why.”

Fangs continued to nod, silently.

They all exchanged glances, then. Eyes betraying nothing but distrust, seeking to ignore the many elephants in the proverbial room.

“Whatever. I’m getting back to work.” Jughead announced. 

Perhaps, weeks ago, he would have picked up on the obvious lies. Perhaps he would have been acutely aware that something was going on that he should investigate. 

But not today. Today, he let the minutes pass, mind never straying far from the irresistible blonde that would await him upon his return home.

 

x

 

Afternoon came, and with it, so did Betty.

He liked watching her creamy skin turn red.

Her chest first, as soon as their kissing deepened and their hands started to explore. It only took two blouse buttons to notice she had turned bright red from want.

Her cheeks second, as he stroked her panties with his index finger and her body jolted when he hit her clit. When he pushed them aside and submerged his fingers inside her, her entire face would darken, eyes and cheeks changing color right in front of him.

And then there were all the other parts. Her ass, from the spanking, or when he fucked her from behind. Her nipples from being toyed with. She could have her nipples sucked for hours without stopping moaning in pleasure.

And her pussy. When it was swollen, glistening, and dripping out his cum. It was a deep, dark red, and fuck if it wasn’t the most incredible thing he had ever seen. 

He blamed the sight of it on the fact that as soon as he came, one look at it and he would grow hard again. She always wanted more, too. It led to an endless cycle of the two of them riding each other until one or both of them could barely move and they both fell asleep naked, limbs entwined.

“I want you to stay over again.” Jughead murmured into her neck that evening as she was mentally preparing herself to leave.

“I can’t. Your dad’s home soon. And God knows where my mom thinks I am right now.”

“My dad’s away this weekend. Stay.”

“What, like, the whole weekend?”

Jughead shrugged, “It might be our last.”

Betty’s stomach tightened, but she expressed nothing, “What will I tell my mom?”

He shrugged again.

She slowly began to lift herself up in the bed and dragged her panties up her legs before sitting beside his lying form, legs crossed. “I guess I could tell her I’m going to Columbia, to check it out. I planned on doing that at some point.”

“Alright.”

Betty smiled, and touched his cheek. “Alright.”

He smiled back. And for that brief moment, they both felt completely, unequivocally, normal.

 

x

 

“Mom?” Betty called out into the house as she opened the door.

She was met with no answer. She slid the shoes off her feet and made her way into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. 

The house looked clean. It was always clean, but everything had been put away; all of the surfaces lay bare.

She padded across the tiled floor in her cotton socks, “Mo-om?” She called, growing curious. Until something caught her eye. And there, on the fridge, she saw a post-it note.

_Gone for a couple of days - back by Monday. Food in the freezer and emergency cash under your pillow!_

She creased her brow in confusion, peeling the post-it from the cold surface and examining both sides of it. It was certainly Alice’s handwriting.

And slowly, but surely, a smile began to spread across Betty’s face. She could spend the whole weekend with him. Friday afternoon to Monday morning, she wouldn’t leave his side. Nothing could get in the way, nothing could distract them from each other.

Neither considered that they might be distracting each other from anything else.

 

x

 

That weekend was a blur of pure erotic satisfaction. They barely ate. Their sex was like a drug, mind-numbing and addictive.

Day and night they fucked like animals, screaming, groaning and bleating while he pounded her on any surface he could find - in the bed, on the kitchen table, in the shower, or on the couch. Always with the fervor of it possibly being their last time. Betty barely put a scrap of clothing on the whole weekend, which meant Jughead was essentially hard the entire time. 

On Friday evening they fell asleep naked after watching _Making A Murderer_ on the couch. Or, at least, trying to watch _Making A Murderer_. By the time the first episode was over, they were both completely naked (and that was the last time Betty wore any of her own clothes until Monday morning).

True crime seemed to get Betty hot and bothered, which didn’t go unnoticed by Jughead.

“There’s literally no way this is plausible, how could they consider that to be a valid alibi.” She huffed, face red and eyebrows creased.

“Betty, it’s just a show. And it’s made to manipulate us into feeling this way.”

“I don’t care. It’s annoying.” Her foot jiggled with agitation on the ground.

He placed his hand on her leg, “Hey,” he said, looking into her eyes, “I agree with you, alright?”

She smiled and breathed out a quiet sigh, “Thanks Juggie. I just get so frustrated at how incompetent some people are, and how people who actually have skills and intelligence aren’t taken seriously because of how they look, or sound. It’s a bit of a sensitive subject I guess.”

Jughead nodded slowly, “I really respect that. And you know what else I respect?”

“What?”

“You. And your skills and intelligence.”

Betty giggled, biting her lip. Jughead continued to rub his warm, firm hands up and down her legs in comfort.

“But…” Betty said, “what if I don’t want you to respect me?”

Jughead looked into her eyes and saw them suddenly changed. She was riled up and looking for release.

“Well then,” Jughead responded, “I’ll have to do what you want, of course.”

He took both of her wrists in one of his hands and lifted them behind her head, “Keep these here”, he said, pushing her back into her seat. She breathed out a loud sigh of relief as he unbuttoned her light blouse and started to nibble at her neck, chest and breasts.

“Is this what you want?” Jughead growled under his breath.

“Yes. Just do whatever the fuck you want with me.” 

Jughead’s mind went into overdrive as he undressed her without care or concern for anything other than getting her naked. He pulled, bit and ripped until she sat in front of him on the couch with arms behind her head and legs spread so wide he could almost see inside of her.

“Just touch me Juggie.” She breathed, desperately.

“Stop talking.”

She whined at his authoritative tone, and he thought he saw her eyes dilate in front of him. He moved forward, still fully clothed, dick straining painfully in his jeans, and placed his right hand flat against her pussy. 

“Ahhhhh-“ She moaned, as he ground his flat palm against her and she bucked her hips up, for any kind of release.

He put his left hand into her mouth, fingers first, “If you have something to say, chew on this instead.” And she chewed, sucked and licked at it hungrily while her body quivered under his hand.

He teased her like that for a few moments, grinding his flat palm against the saturated heat between her legs while she chewed at his hand in frenzied frustration. But a sudden, filthy whimper from her weakened his resolve. He pulled his palm away from her hot core and lifted it up to his face, licking it in front of her. She bit down hard on the hand in his mouth at the sight.

“You want more?”

She nodded eagerly. He unbuckled his belt and pushed his boxers and jeans down enough for his dick to spring free. Her eyes widened and another, redder flush covered her cheeks.

He took the hand out of her mouth and dragged her ass forward in the seat so she sat on the edge of the couch. With a searing stare, he slid his dick inside her. She let out a mix between a sigh and a shout at the sensation, as he bottomed out, deep in her pussy. He slowly pulled his wet cock out and back in, building up a steady rhythm as he pumped her naked body sprawled across the couch. Jughead could feel himself overheat with his t shirt and jeans still on but damned if he wasn’t gonna carry this through to the end.

“Please” Betty begged, “Take something off, I wanna touch your skin”

“If you promise me not to come.”

Betty whimpered as every nerve in her pussy tingled with the beginnings of an overpowering orgasm, “I can’t” she panted, throwing her head back and relaxing into the couch. 

At that, Jughead pulled her back up by the arms so the sweat on her chest left a mark on his t-shirt and he gave her ass a light slap. “Don’t come or I’ll stop. Alright?” She nodded obediently.

She whined as he pulled out of her to take his t-shirt and jeans off, before ramming back into her immediately. She just wanted to say his name over and over, shouting to the world that she belonged to him. That he was doing this to her. But the pleasure was so intense she could barely even get full words out. Each thrust of his cock sent her sensitive tight walls into overdrive, forgetting everything except for the fact that he was fucking her.

“J… Fuck! J… Jug- Jug… J- J- Shit… Jughe- Aahh!”

It was music to his ears, mixed with the wet noises of her soaked pussy as he rammed sloppily into her.

This was often how things went. What started off as innocent conversation quickly descended into lustful hedonism. At least, that was what happened when they tried to concentrate on other things. Sometimes they didn’t even try. When she first saw him in the mornings, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, she needed to come before she could think straight.

“Juggie…” She played with her hair as she leaned over his naked form in bed on Saturday morning.

“Morning beautiful,” he croaked, one eye open.

She batted her eyelashes heavily and ran a hand through his hair, silently begging for a physical response. 

His eyes drifted down to her bright pink, pebbled nipples and he swallowed, feeling his dick stiffen.

“Can I?” She dropped her hand down to his member and he nodded eagerly, “can I get on?” She begged, weakly.

He grinned, “be my guest.” 

Her eyes lit up as she instantly sat up, and climbed on to him, lowering herself onto his rock-hard cock, inch by inch, and feeling the pleasure fill her wet folds.

“Fuck.” She groaned, throwing her head back and sliding herself up and down on top of him, his enormous cock stretching her walls to the limit as every minuscule movement threatened to make her come.

She built up a rhythm, then, riding him back and forth as her clit rubbed against his stomach, the insides of his legs growing sticky as she seeped out onto him. She knew they wouldn't finish together, she only had a few short thrusts left before she was about to come all over him, but she would want more immediately, and he would be more than happy to oblige.

She rode his stiff dick selfishly, bouncing her tight, pulsating heat on top of it lazily and hazily. Physically exhausted from the previous day but energized from the sleep and their passion, she raced to her orgasm, screaming, as he let the pleasure, and her abundant juices, wash over him. 

This was their routine. This was the cycle of the weekend. Each day started that way, Betty awaking with an itch she needed to scratch immediately. Then, as soon as she'd come, with a smirk, he would pick her up and lay her down, fucking her senseless until he came. Growling and panting loudly, he emptied into her while she trembled with bliss again, one orgasm blending into the next like a thick, moist haze of pleasure. 

They would lie there then, unmoving and still, until his cock began to harden at the feeling of her wet breasts on his chest and they would travel to the side of the bed, or couch so she could bend lazily over it and he would re-enter her from behind, pulling her ass cheeks apart with his hands to guide himself into her entrance, dripping with a blend of her arousal and his cum, as she emitted a loud, guttural groan. He wanted it slow, but she liked it fast, so she would moan and moan until he finally sped up to a crescendo of them both coming again, her walls spasming frantically around his throbbing cock, sucking him deeper inside her and draining him of every last drop of pleasure. And just like that, the cycle would begin again, usually lasting about three hours before Betty would need to go back to sleep again, shaking from all the orgasms.

These hours they spent in delirium blinded them to everything except each other. Hours that were spent of thinking of literally nothing else. Hours that were spent completely ignorant to the real world, and the perils brewing within it.

 

x

 

“Do you wanna go for a walk?” Jughead asked, turning his head to Betty who lay beside him in bed.

“What, now?” She raised an eyebrow.

It was Sunday night, around 1am, and they’d just awoken from a light slumber. The moonlight shone in on their faces as they’d neglected to close the curtains, casting a glow on Betty’s soft features. She looked like a fairy, he thought. Something surreal and magical that had the power to tantalize and comfort; to seduce and surrender.

“Yeah, now.” He whispered, softly.

She giggled quietly, “But what if people see us?”

“No one will be around at this time, besides…” he trailed off.

She continued looking at him, expectantly.

“… I already told some of the Serpents about us.” He finished,

Betty’s eyes lit up, “Seriously?!”

Jughead nodded. "Well, technically Toni did, but, yeah. It's all out in the open now."

She was almost grinning. She lifted her head up to kiss him, softly, but the kissing quickly deepened, their tongues melding into each others’.

“Wait,” she pulled away, panting lightly, “let’s go for that walk first.”

So they left the trailer, her in one of his "S" t-shirts and boxers, him in the exact same. They wandered, hand in hand, out of Sunnyside and into the town, and it wasn’t long before they found themselves outside Riverdale High.

"You know, as bad as it was, I had some of my best times inside of those walls." Jughead mused, running a hand through his hair.

“I can’t believe we ever stopped being friends.” Betty whispered.

He gave her a peck on the lips, “That doesn’t matter now.”

Betty paused, before quietly asking, “Will you visit me in college?”

“Will you come home?” Jughead probed.

“Of course. But answer my question, too.”

“Sure. I’ll visit you.”

Betty smiled, then. “They should make a movie about us.”

“You know what kinda movie that would be,” Jughead winked at her.

She swatted him with her hand, “Mr. Jones!”

“I prefer it when you call me Sir.” he growled into her ear.

Betty was glad of the night for it hid the blush that had begun to spread across her cheeks. She squeezed his hand tightly, “Let’s go back to bed, Juggie.”

 

x

 

On Monday morning she went home, head still spinning from exhaustion, hunger and lust. Upon her arrival back on Elm street, she was surprised to see Archie waiting at her door.

“Jesus, Arch, how did you know I was on the way home?”

“I saw you coming down the road from my bedroom window.”

She nodded, slowly, and raised her hand expectantly, searching for more explanation.

“Betty, where the hell have you been?” He took a look at her, head to toe and his eyes widened. “And are you OK? You look a mess.”

“I’m fine!” She huffed, crossing her arms self-consciously over her loose t-shirt.

“Alright. Well, can we go inside?" He paused, and appeared to be deliberating something before continuing. "I’ve got something I need to tell you.”


End file.
